Over the weekend, Hungarian athletes delivered remarkable performances at the 2024 Paris Olympics, securing medals in swimming, hammer throw, and sport pistol shooting. Among the highlights was Kristóf Milák’s triumphant victory in the 100m butterfly event, where he claimed the gold medal. The Hungarian men’s épée team achieved a gold medal on Friday. Bence Halász excelled in the hammer throw, earning a silver medal, while Veronika Major showcased her skills in the women’s sport pistol final, capturing a bronze medal.
Kristóf Milák, already a renowned swimmer with a gold medal in the 200m butterfly from the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, further cemented his legacy in Paris. Despite being second in the 100m butterfly in Tokyo, where he set a European record, Milák managed to secure a gold medal in the same event and distance in Paris. His race was characterized by a slower start, turning in fourth position, but he executed a phenomenal comeback with a strong final 50m, clocking in at 49.90 seconds. This performance made Milák only the second male swimmer in Olympic history to win four medals in butterfly events, a distinction shared with the legendary 23-time champion, Michael Phelps. Moreover, Milák joined the ranks of Hungarian greats Krisztina Egerszegi and Tamás Darnyi as the third Hungarian swimmer to medal at two different Olympic Games.
After a 52-year hiatus, the Hungarian men’s épée team has once again triumphed in the Olympic team event.
On Friday, the team, consisting of Gergely Siklósi, Máté Koch, Tibor Andrásfi, and Dávid Nagy, delivered a series of commanding performances, culminating in a victory over the defending champions, Japan, in the final held in Paris. The Hungarian fencers demonstrated their prowess by defeating both Kazakhstan and France with identical scores of 45-30, utilizing the lineup of Siklósi, Koch, and Andrásfi. In the final, with the addition of Dávid Nagy, they edged out Japan in a thrilling match that ended 26-25, secured by a decisive tie-breaking point. The team maintained the same composition as the one that won the European Championship last year. The starting lineup included Andrásfi Tibor, who finished fourth in the individual event in Paris, Gergely Siklósi, the 2019 world champion and Tokyo silver medalist, and Máté Koch, who won the world championship gold last year. The victory was met with jubilant celebrations, as the team members waved the Hungarian flag amidst cheers from the crowd. This achievement marks the first time since the 1972 Munich Olympics that a Hungarian men’s épée team has won gold. The last team to do so included Csaba Fenyvesi, Győző Kulcsár, Pál Schmitt, Sándor Erdős, and István Osztrics. This win marks the 39th Olympic triumph for Hungarian fencing. Historically, this is the fourth time Hungary has won the men’s épée team event at the Olympics, with previous consecutive victories occurring between 1964 and 1972.
In the field of athletics, Bence Halász stood out as a key contender in the hammer throw competition. The athlete from Szombathely arrived in Paris with a strong pedigree, including two world bronze medals and a recent silver medal at the European Championships in Rome with a throw of 80.49 meters. In the Olympic final, Halász faced fierce competition, particularly from Canada’s Ethan Katzberg, who set the bar high with an impressive throw of 84.12 meters. Halász initially positioned himself in fifth place with a throw of 77.58 meters, but steadily improved his performance. He ultimately reached 79.97 meters, surpassing Ukrainian Mykhaylo Kokhan and Norwegian Eivind Henriksen, to claim the silver medal.
This achievement marks the tenth Olympic medal in Hungarian hammer throwing history.
After the competition, Halász expressed pride in his performance and emphasized the importance of preparation for the upcoming World Championships.
Veronika Major rounded off the weekend’s successes by earning a bronze medal in the women’s sport pistol event. The competitor from Keszthely had previously reached the final in air pistol, finishing eighth. In the sport pistol final, Major demonstrated her precision and composure, particularly in the rapid-fire rounds where points were awarded for every shot exceeding 10.2. After eight tense rounds, Major secured her medal by outscoring India’s Manu Bhaker by four points.
Hungary’s impressive medal haul, including three medals in swimming, three in fencing, one in shooting, and one in athletics, currently places the nation 12th in the Olympic medal table. This puts Hungary ahead of countries such as Brazil, Spain, and Sweden.
The United States leads the table, followed by the People’s Republic of China and France. Hungary’s athletes have once again proven their prowess on the world stage, with each medal adding to the nation’s rich sporting legacy.
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