Zoltán Halmay

Who was Zoltán Halmay?

Zoltán Halmay was a Hungarian Olympic swimmer. He competed in four Olympics, winning the following medals:

⁕1900: silver, bronze

⁕1904: gold

⁕1906: gold, silver

⁕1908: silver

Halmay was born in Magasfalu, Kingdom of Hungary and died in Budapest. Zoltán Halmay, who was a double Olympic champion, was the most successful sportsman in freestyle swimming. 1904 he won the 50 and 100 yards at the St. Louis Games and in 1906 he was a member of the 4×250 m relay team that won the gold medal. He won a further 4 silver medals and a bronze medal at other Olympics. He was Hungarian champion 14 times and won the English, the German and the Austrian Championships as well. He was a world record holder at 100 metres and also at 50 and 220 yards. His versatility is shown by the fact that he was also a remarkable athlete, rower and football player, and he also won a national-level championship in roller-skating over 5000 metres. After his retirement he worked as a trainer, and he was the federal chief trainer of the Hungarian Swimming Association. He was born on 18 June 1881 in Magasfalu, Dubrava. At the ceremony organised at the main square of the village, a monument unifying the memorial plaque and the statue of Halmay was set up in collaboration with the Slovak Olympic Committee and the local government of Vysoká pri Morave. Zoltán Halmay died 20 May 1956.