Olga Gyarmati

Olga Gyarmati was Hungary’s second female Olympic champion in athletics (after Ibolya Csák), winning the 1948 long jump gold medal. She is considered, many years later, as Hungary’s greatest female athlete, also winning two golds medals at the Universiade – the 1949 long jump and 1951 200 metres, adding four silvers and two bronzes at the Universiade in 1949 and 1951. Gyarmati won 31 national titles in Hungary, earning an additional four silvers and four bronzes. Her individual victories included three at 100 m (1941, 1949, 1951), two at 200 m (1951-52), seven in the 80 metre hurdles (1948-49, 51-55), two in the high jump (1942, 1949), eight in the long jump (1948-49 and 1951-56), and two in the pentathlon (1950, 1955). In addition, she won several national relay titles and three team titles, one each in the high jump, long jump, and shot put.

After the 1956 Olympics, Gyarmati left Hungary, as did many Hungarian athletes in response to the Soviet invasion of their country. She first settled in England and became a British citizen. She married Hungarian writer Támas Aczel, and they later lived in Greenfield, Massachusetts in the United States.

Personal Bests: 100 – 11.9 (1951); 200 – 24.8 (1951); HJ – 1.60 (1950); LJ – 6.23 (1953).