Emese Nemeth-Hunyady

By far the best female speed skater to come out of Hungary, Emese Hunyady first appeared internationally at age 15. After representing her birth nation at the 1984 Olympics, she entered a marriage of convenience with Austrian coach Thomas Németh, allowing her to move to Western Europe and represent Austria from 1987 on. Having evolved from a sprinter to an allround skater, she experienced three highly successful years from 1992 through 1994. In 1992, Hunyady claimed two silver medals at the major allround tournaments, while placing third in the Olympic 3,000 m. One year later, she took the European title (helped by a fall of Gunda Niemann), while finishing as runner-up at that season’s Worlds. At the 1994 Olympics, she first earned a silver in the 3,000 m, before becoming the first Austrian speed skating champion by winning the 1,500 m. Earlier in the season, Hunyady had also won the World Allrounds, although these were not well-attended. The Austrian’s last title came in 1999, when she won the 1,500 m at the World Single Distance Championships. Retiring after the 2002 Olympics, Hunyady moved to Switzerland with her husband, former speed skater Timo Järvinen and their son.

Personal Bests: 500 – 38.87 (2001); 1000 – 1:15.99 (2000); 1500 – 1:56.51 (2002); 3000 – 4:06.55 (2002); 5000 – 7:15.23 (1998).