Aladár Gerevich (Fencing)
Aladar Gerevich first saw the light of day on March 16, 1910 in the village of Yasberen, Hungary. Gerevich is married to Erna Bogathy and both his father-in-law, Albert Bogen, and his son, Pal Gerevich, captured medals in the sports of fencing in the Olympics.
Considered as a legend and hailed as the greatest swordsman in the Olympics of all-time, Gerevich boasts of lofty achievements in both the Olympics and the World Championships. He won the gold medal in the saber fencing individual event in the 1948 and he was part of the vaunted Hungarian saber fencing team that captured gold medals from 1932 to 1960.
Gerevich was also devastating in the World Championships as he won the individual saber fencing event in 1951 and 1955. He had also helped Hungary won the coveted seven (7) gold medals in the World Championships.
He also set the record for the most years between first and last Olympic medals, a feat that was equaled by New Zealander Mark Todd in the sports of equestrian.
During the Olympic trials for the 1960 edition of the Olympics, the fencing committee scoffed at Gerevich that he was too old to vie for spot in the team. But he bucked all odds as he pounced on his experience, grit and wit to win all of his matches against the members of the sabre team. He had coached fencing at the Vasas Sports Club in Budapest after he retired, and died at the age of 81.
Related Pages
- fencing at the Olympics
- See also Edoardo Mangiarotti — an Italian Olympic fencing champion who piled up a medal haul of six gold, five silver and two bronze from 1936 to 1956.
- Hungary at the Olympics
- sport in Hungary
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