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A statue of five-time Olympic champion gymnast Ágnes Keleti was unveiled in Hild Square, Budapest’s 5th District. The bronze statue, depicting the legendary athlete performing a split, was erected near her home.
Gergely Gulyás, Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office, spoke about how this event is a tribute to a legend, and that anyone who wishes to understand 20th-century history and how it was possible to survive it must learn about Ágnes Keleti’s fate and preserve her memory. The minister recalled the life of Ágnes Keleti, who passed away last January, one week before her 104th birthday, noting that she began gymnastics in the Jewish community’s legendary sports club and later became a champion at MTE. Her unique talent became evident at an early age.
“Then history derailed everything. The Hungarian state was unable to prevent the German occupation, and a significant portion of the Hungarian administration collaborated in the deportation of the Jewish population. During the Holocaust, the lives of hundreds of thousands of people were lost, and this period also brought countless irreplaceable tragedies to Hungarian sports.
Ágnes Keleti was also deeply scarred by the Holocaust. Her father and many of her relatives fell victim to the extermination camps, but after the war, she was among those who had the strength to start over and became a legend in Hungarian and international gymnastics,”
emphasized Gergely Gulyás. He highlighted Keleti’s unique list of achievements, including her five Olympic gold medals, 46 Hungarian championship golds, and the complete collection of medals she brought home from her sole World Championship.
Ágnes Keleti, 1949. Photo via Fortepan / Kovács Márton Ernő
The minister noted that, like many of her peers after the Melbourne Olympics, this outstanding athlete “chose freedom.” She moved to Israel, where she raised a child and worked as a coach, playing a pivotal role in establishing and elevating Israeli gymnastics to a high level. However, after the political transition in Hungary, she returned home.
“Our oldest living Olympic champion, she became a role model not only for her athletic achievements but also for her life. She truly understood the value of life and loved it until her dying day,”
emphasized Gergely Gulyás.
Csilla Fazekas, the parliamentary candidate for the downtown district, recalled that for the five-time Olympic champion gymnast, the world—which had long been unkind to her—could only be understood through the prism of a love of life, cheerfulness, and optimism.
“I was particularly impressed that Ágnes Keleti never complained or harbored hatred; she did not burn with a desire for revenge in her heart, nor did she blame anyone for her difficult fate. She did not curse the troubled century, but lived through it with her head held high.
When we look for excuses and blame our circumstances for everything, let us remember this petite lady blessed with boundless strength of spirit—our champion.”
Ágnes Keleti, 1949. Photo: Fortepan / Kovács Márton Ernő
In his speech, Zsolt Gyulay, President of the Hungarian Olympic Committee (MOB), recalled the extraordinary career of the Nation’s Athlete, Hungary’s most decorated female Olympian. He also highlighted that Ágnes Keleti described herself as an optimistic dreamer, and with these qualities, she always found happiness in the midst of misfortune.
He recalled that Keleti won her first Hungarian championship title in 1940, but because of her Jewish heritage, she was banned from all sporting activities that same year and could only return after World War II. Then, in 1948, life presented her with another difficult situation when he suffered a torn ankle ligament during one of his final training sessions before the London Olympics, preventing her from competing.
Gergely Gulyás, Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office (left), at the unveiling of the statue of Ágnes Keleti, a five-time Olympic champion gymnast and recipient of the “Nation’s Athlete” title, in Hild Square, Budapest, on March 30, 2026. From the right: Israeli Ambassador Maya Kadosh and Zsolt Gyulay, MOB President. Photo: MTI/Kocsis Zoltán
Despite these many hardships, however, she did not give up and won four medals at the 1952 Helsinki Games (1 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze), then reached the peak of her career at the 1956 Melbourne Games, where she finished with four gold and two silver medals.
Ágnes Keleti became the most successful competitor of the 1956 Olympics, as well as the oldest female gymnast to win a gold medal, playing a significant role in ten of the 40 Olympic medals won by Hungarian gymnastics.
“Ágnes Keleti articulated her philosophy of life as follows: ‘People know what feels right for them, and they should only do things they love. The most important thing in the world is for people to love.’ There is hardly a more beautiful, meaningful, or useful message in the world today,” he concluded.
To conclude the ceremony, Gergely Gulyás, Isreli Ambassador Maya Kadosh, and Zsolt Gyulay jointly unveiled the statue, created by Cserny Prize-winning sculptor Márk Lelkes. The installation of the artwork was made possible with the support of the Prime Minister’s Office and in cooperation with the Hungarian Jewish Heritage Public Foundation.
Via MTI, Featured image: MTI/Kocsis Zoltán
The post Statue of Olympic Legend Ágnes Keleti Unveiled in Budapest appeared first on Hungary Today.
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