Mihály Iglói

Mihály Iglói started his sports career as a gymnast, but then switched to athletics. At age 19, he was the pole vault champion of Heves County, and after moving to Budapest he became successful as a middle- and long-distance runner with various clubs, including TFSC, Budapesti Budai Torna Egylet (BBTE), and the Magyar Athletic Club. Between 1938 and 1944, Iglói won 11 team and relay championships, and in 1939 his only individual national title at 800 metres. He was capped 18 times. Iglói finished third at the World University Championships with the Olympic relay in 1933 and second at 1,500 metres in 1935. At the 1936 Berlin Olympics, he was eliminated in the first round of the 1,500 metres.

Iglói graduated from the College of Physical Education in 1934 with a degree in physical education, and then worked intermittently as a physical education teacher between 1934-50. In 1938, he studied the training methods of Finnish runners; however, he was not personally able to use the new training methods as, after returning to Hungary, he had to fight in World War II.

After the war, Iglói turned to coaching, working with Bp. Honvéd starting in 1950, and he played a significant role in the application and dissemination of modern training systems. His greatest coaching successes were with the trio of Sándor Iharos, István Rózsavölgyi and László Tábori. His athletes set 21 world and 25 European records.

In 1956, after the Melbourne Olympics, he moved to the USA, where he became coach of the Santa Clara Club runners in Los Angeles, coaching both Jim Beatty and Bob Schul, with Schul winning a gold medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics at 5,000 metres. In 1970 Iglói moved to Greece and became the coach of the Greek Athletics Association, leading his athletes to 35 Greek championships before returning to Hungary in 1991.

Personal Best: 1500 – 3:52.2 (1937).