Kornél Pajor

Kornél Pajor is the first (and through 2016, only) speed skater to win a world title for Hungary. He did so in 1949, winning the allround title by excelling in the long distances. That championship was also the last time Pajor represented Hungary: he defected from the then communist state, eventually settling in Sweden. Pajor did continue to skate, though, and in 1951 won a bronze in the World Championships as an independent athlete. From 1952 on, he represented his new home country, Sweden. For Sweden, he won a bronze in the 1952 Europeans, adding to the one he had won in 1949. His nationality change meant he couldn’t compete in the 1952 Olympics; Pajor had earlier competed in the 1948 St. Moritz Games, with a 4th place in the weather affected 10,000 m as his best performance. In 1949, on the high altitude rink of Davos, Pajor bettered the world record in the 5,000 m, lowering it by 0,2 of a second to 8:13.5. En route to his world title, he also bettered the 10,000 m world record, but it was bettered later in the same event, and is thus not officially recognized as a world record. Pajor, a five time national allround champion in Hungary, worked as an architect in a suburb of Stockholm following his retirement from sports in 1954.

Personal Bests: 500 – 44.3 (1952); 1500 – 2:16.5 (1952); 5000 – 8:13.5 (1949); 10000 – 16:58.7 (1949).