The date for the funeral of Hungarian-Israeli Olympic champion Ágnes Keleti in Budapest has yet to be announced. A Holocaust survivor and the world’s oldest Olympic champion, Keleti passed away just one week shy of her 104th birthday.
AGNES KELETI IS GONE
(ILTV)
Widely regarded as one of the greatest Jewish athletes of all time, Keleti leaves behind an unparalleled legacy. As Hungary’s most decorated female Olympian, she achieved sporting excellence despite the immense challenges of her youth. Keleti lost her father in the Holocaust and survived by assuming a false identity and working as a maid in the home of a Nazi-sympathizing family.
The war and a severe injury kept her from competing during her athletic prime. However, Keleti made her Olympic debut at age 31, earning one gold and three additional medals. Four years later, at the 1956 Melbourne Games, she captured four gold and two silver medals at the age of 35.
During the Melbourne Games, the Soviet Union invaded Hungary, prompting Keleti to emigrate to Israel. She devoted her post-competitive career to developing Israeli gymnastics, teaching physical education at the Wingate Institute for 34 years, and coaching the national team until the 1990s. In 2017, Keleti was awarded the Israel Prize for her lifetime contributions to Israeli sport.
Ágnes Keleti spent her later years nurturing the next generation of athletes, leaving an indelible mark on the global gymnastics community and Israeli sports development.