The five-time Olympic artistic gymnastics champion, and the oldest in the world, Ágnes Keletidied on January 2 at the age of 103. The Hungarian, who would have turned 104 on the 9th, added to her record five golds, three silvers and two Olympic bronzes in her category, after making her debut in Helsinki 52, where she won her first medal.
According to local sources and the Hungarian Olympic Committee, Keleti was hospitalized on Saturday in critical condition due to heart failure and respiratory problems.
Keleti was born on January 9, 1921 into a Jewish family and soon became interested in sports; At the age of 19 he achieved his first national victory. But his career was slowed by Nazi laws, which prohibited people of Jewish origin from participating in sports disciplines.
The arrival of the Nazis in Hungary forced the deportation of Keleti’s family, with several members taken to the Auschwitz death camp, including his father. The gymnast managed to save herself with some false documents, and remained active during the years in which she worked as a seamstress in a munitions factory, according to local media. His mother and sister were also rescued by a diplomat.
After the war, Keleti continued with his sporting dream and studied at the Faculty of Physical Education while winning in all the competitions in which he participated at the national level. She qualified for the 48th London Games, but an ankle injury left her without that experience. However, in Helsinki 52 came her big opportunity: gold in the floor exercise, silver in the all-around team competition and bronze in uneven bars and team competition.
Although her explosion came in Melbourne 56, where she achieved four golds (balance, floor, asymmetrical and team) and two silvers. She is still the oldest gymnastics player to win an Olympic medal, having won her last gold at the age of 35.
She retired shortly after, but remained linked to the world of gymnastics as a coach. When she became the oldest Olympic champion, already at 102 years old, she admitted that her formula to achieve this had been to always stay active, with a diet that included a lot of fruit and also chocolate, and, above all, not looking in the mirror. .
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