Zoltán Halmay
Encyclopedia
Zoltán Halmay (ˈzoltaːn ˈhɒlmɒjɪ, June 18, 1881 – May 20, 1956) was a Hungarian Olympic
swimmer. He competed in four Olympics (1900
– 1908
), winning the following medals:
Halmay was born in Magasfalu, Kingdom of Hungary
(today Vysoká pri Morave
, Slovakia
) and died in Budapest
. Zoltán Halmay, who was a double Olympic champion, was the most successful sportsman of freestyle swimming. It was a hundred years ago in 2004, that he won the 50 and 100 yards at the St. Louis Games. In 1906 he was a member of the 4×250 m relay team that won the gold medal. Besides these, his Olympic balance is 4 silver medals and a bronze medal. He has been a Hungarian champion 14 times, but he has won even the English, the German and the Austrian Championships as well. He was a world record holder on 100 metres and on 50 and 220 yards. His versatility is shown by the fact that he was also a remarkable athlete, rower and football player, and he also won a national-level championship in roller-skating over 5000 metres. After his retirement he worked as a trainer, and he was the federal chief trainer of the Hungarian Swimming Association. He was born on 18 June 1881 in Magasfalu (Hungarian name), Dubrava (Bratislava County). At the ceremony organised at the main square of the village, a monument unifying the memorial plaque and the statue of Halmay was set up in collaboration with the Slovak Olympic Committee and the local government of Vysoká pri Morave (Magasfalu). Zoltán Halmay died 20 May 1956.
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
swimmer. He competed in four Olympics (1900
1900 Summer Olympics
The 1900 Summer Olympics, today officially known as the Games of the II Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1900 in Paris, France. No opening or closing ceremonies were held; competitions began on May 14 and ended on October 28. The Games were held as part of...
– 1908
1908 Summer Olympics
The 1908 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the IV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in 1908 in London, England, United Kingdom. These games were originally scheduled to be held in Rome. At the time they were the fifth modern Olympic games...
), winning the following medals:
- 19001900 Summer OlympicsThe 1900 Summer Olympics, today officially known as the Games of the II Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1900 in Paris, France. No opening or closing ceremonies were held; competitions began on May 14 and ended on October 28. The Games were held as part of...
: silver (200 m, 4000 m freestyle), bronze (1000 m freestyle) - 19041904 Summer OlympicsThe 1904 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the III Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in St. Louis, Missouri, in the United States from 1 July 1904, to November 23, 1904, at what is now known as Francis Field on the campus of Washington University...
: gold (50yd, 100yd freestyle) - 19061906 Summer OlympicsThe 1906 Intercalated Games or 1906 Olympic Games were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in Athens, Greece. They were at the time considered to be Olympic Games and were referred to as the "Second International Olympic Games in Athens" by the International Olympic Committee...
: gold (4×250 m freestyle relay), silver (100 m freestyle) (these games are now not officially recognized by the IOCInternational Olympic CommitteeThe International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
) - 19081908 Summer OlympicsThe 1908 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the IV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in 1908 in London, England, United Kingdom. These games were originally scheduled to be held in Rome. At the time they were the fifth modern Olympic games...
: silver (100 m freestyle; 4×200 m freestyle relay)
Halmay was born in Magasfalu, Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
(today Vysoká pri Morave
Vysoká pri Morave
Vysoká pri Morave is a village north of Bratislava, the capital city of Slovakia. It is situated in the Malacky District, Bratislava Region on the border to Austria.-External links:*http://www.statistics.sk/mosmis/eng/run.html...
, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
) and died in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
. Zoltán Halmay, who was a double Olympic champion, was the most successful sportsman of freestyle swimming. It was a hundred years ago in 2004, that he won the 50 and 100 yards at the St. Louis Games. In 1906 he was a member of the 4×250 m relay team that won the gold medal. Besides these, his Olympic balance is 4 silver medals and a bronze medal. He has been a Hungarian champion 14 times, but he has won even the English, the German and the Austrian Championships as well. He was a world record holder on 100 metres and on 50 and 220 yards. His versatility is shown by the fact that he was also a remarkable athlete, rower and football player, and he also won a national-level championship in roller-skating over 5000 metres. After his retirement he worked as a trainer, and he was the federal chief trainer of the Hungarian Swimming Association. He was born on 18 June 1881 in Magasfalu (Hungarian name), Dubrava (Bratislava County). At the ceremony organised at the main square of the village, a monument unifying the memorial plaque and the statue of Halmay was set up in collaboration with the Slovak Olympic Committee and the local government of Vysoká pri Morave (Magasfalu). Zoltán Halmay died 20 May 1956.