István Granek

István Granek was introduced to water sports at the age of fourteen, and three years later he successfully competed in domestic kayak competitions. As an athlete of Elektromos MSE and from 1949 of Bp. Honvéd, Granek won seven national championships in individual and team boats. He was a member of the Hungarian national team eight times between 1949 and 1951. At the 1952 Helsinki Olympics he came seventh in the K-2 1000 m.

During his sports career Granek completed his studies at the Faculty of Physical Education, where he studied teaching. In 1953-54 he participated as a coach in the education of the Honvéd youth, and in 1955 in the formation of the Ferencvárosi Torna Club kayak-canoe section. At the latter he was its head coach until 1958, and at the same time, from 1956, the head of the national team. In 1959 he was appointed head coach of the national team. In 1968 the team he led achieved its greatest success at the Olympics. Two gold medals, numerous other medals and placements were the fruit of his legendary hard work.

Granek’s book Kayaking-Canoeing, which enriched the sparse literature of young sport with a wealth of material on modern methods and professional issues, was translated into several foreign languages. He died relatively young, barely 45-years-old, after a serious illness. A commemorative competition has been held in his name since the 1970s.