Francisc Balla

The athlete nicknamed Székely Herkules started his sports career during his military service. He first worked on the shot put, then a wrestling coach spotted him and took him to a wrestling competition, where he became a member of the national squad after two competitions. After the military he continued his career in Marosvásárhely. He was the first Romanian freestyle wrestler to stand on the podium at a world competition: two-time world championship silver medallist and European champion. He participated at the Olympic Games in Tokyo and Mexico City, won the Balkan Championship three times, and won the Romanian championship title fourteen times. During his career, Ferenc Balló fought in 951 official matches, of which he won 724.

After his retirement, he worked as a coach for the Maros Sportklub in Marosvásárhely where his students included Ludovic Ambruș and Ladislau Șimon, the latter the only freestyle world champion in Romanian wrestling. In 2016, his native village of Csíkcsomortán elected him as an honorary citizen.