Albán Vermes

Albán Vermes learned to swim at the age of six and started to compete as a swimmer when he was 10. At age 16 he won a 200-meter breaststroke youth championship. One year later in 1975, he won his first senior championship in the 100 breaststroke. At 200 metres he won eight consecutive breaststroke titles between 1976 and 1984. Relatively late, at the age of 20, he joined Tamás Széchy’s group, where he improved rapidly. He lowered his 200 time by seven seconds in two years, finishing sixth at the 1978 World Championship, and in 1980 won silver in the 200 breast at the Moskva Olympics.

In 1983 Vermes finished second at the European Championships in Roma. He was also ready for the 1984 Olympics, but due to the Soviet-led boycott could not compete, although he did win a bronze medal at the Friendship Games, retiring shortly thereafter.

After graduating with a degree in economics, Vermes worked as a chief accountant and then vice-president of economics at his club in Újpest. Later he worked as the managing director of the newly inaugurated Bitskey swimming pool in Eger. From there he joined the Hungarian Swimming Association, where he was the chairman of the supervisory board for years. Since 2000 he was a member of the board. Between 2004 and 2006 he worked as a professional inspector, and then again as a swimming pool manager in Kőbánya. Vermes continued to swim in later years, competing in masters’ meets.