Imre Beták

Imre Baták worked as a locksmith. Here, he was introduced to skiing through a colleague, to which he became permanently addicted. From 1938 to 1959 he was an athlete of Újpest with interruptions. Between 1941 and 1948 he competed for Goldberger SE and in 1954 for Köbányai Dózsa. In 1942, he won his first Hungarian championship, then still among the youth. Unfortunately, the Second World War broke his career, but he worked as a ski instructor at the frontline.

Returning among the adults, Baták was able to win the championship for the first time in 1947, which was followed by 30 more championship titles. Between 1947 and 1959, he was a four-time Hungarian champion in cross-country skiing, a three-time champion in Nordic combined, and a 24-time Hungarian champion in various relays. In 1948 he even won the team championship title in cross country running.

Between 1943 and 1956 he was a member of the Hungarian national team. His first significant appearance on the international stage was the 1948 St. Moritz Olympics where he finished 57th in the 18km cross-country race. At the 1954 World Championship he finished 13th with the Hungarian relay team.

Although in 1943 he passed the machine locksmith specialist exam he worked as a coach for Vasas from 1956. His students have won more than 100 championship titles. Between 1960-1966 and 1968-1973 he was the national trainer of the Hungarian Nordic ski team.