Bis 120! On January 9th, ÁGNES KELETI celebrates her 97th birthday as a five-time Olympic champion gymnast and athlete of the nation. Maccabi VAC wishes the legendary gymnast a very happy birthday!
The following is from the Bálint House:
“I was always lucky in misfortune,” reveals five-time Olympic champion Agnes Keleti as the secret of her success.
Ágnes Keleti, originally Ágnes Klein, was a prominent figure in Hungarian gymnastics, who won a total of five Olympic championship gold medals. Her success at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics brought the 46th Hungarian Gold Medal.
Keleti arrived in the Finnish capital after many unfortunate years of failures. She could have participated in the 1940 Games, but World War II shattered her dreams. At the time, it seemed to have ended her career, unable to dream of international success. However, she didn’t give up hope, but she suffered another blow at the 1948 Olympics: she was injured two days before the race, so she could only cheer from the audience. In 1952, however, no one could stop her! She successfully placed first in individual and floor competitions.
She then won three more Olympic gold medals at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. Following the win, she remained in Australia and finally settled in Israel. There, she became a university teacher and coach. She has been a member of the Nation’s Athletes Association since its founding in 2004. She still lives in Israel, but often visits her apartment in Budapest.
Take a look at the recording of Ágnes Keleti giving a gymnastics presentation!
