László Szalma
Encyclopedia
László Szalma is a retired Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

 long jump
Long jump
The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point...

er. He won six medals at the European Indoor Championships
European Indoor Championships in Athletics
The European Athletics Indoor Championships were held for the first time in 1970, replacing the European Indoor Games which had been held since 1966. Run by the European Athletic Association, the championships took place annually in different cities all over Europe until 1990, when it was changed...

—two gold, three silver and one bronze—and finished fourth at the 1980 Olympic Games
Athletics at the 1980 Summer Olympics
Athletics at the 1980 Summer Olympics was represented by 38 events. They were held in the Grand Arena of the Central Lenin Stadium at Luzhniki between July 24 and August 1. There were a total number of 959 participating athletes from 70 countries.-Men's events:-Women's events:-Medal...

 and the 1983 World Championships
1983 World Championships in Athletics
The inaugural World Championships in Athletics were run under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations and were held at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Finland between August 7 and August 14, 1983....

. His career best jump of 8.30 metres, achieved in July 1985 in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...

, is the current Hungarian record.

Career

He was born in Nagymaros
Nagymaros
- External links :*...

. He won a Hungarian title for the first time in 1977, taking the national indoor championship, and first made his mark in international athletics at the 1977 European Indoor Championships
1977 European Indoor Championships in Athletics
The 8th European Athletics Indoor Championships were held in San Sebastián, a city in Spain, in 1977.-Track:-Field:-Medal table:-External links:* at GBRathletics.com* at GBRathletics.com*...

. With a jump of 7.78 metres he won the bronze medal. At the 1978 European Indoor Championships
1978 European Indoor Championships in Athletics
The 9th European Athletics Indoor Championships were held at Palasport di San Siro in Milan, a city in Italy, in 1978. It was the first time the championships was held in Italy.-Track:-Field:-Medal table:-External links:* at GBRathletics.com...

 the next year he won the gold medal with a jump of 7.83 metres. In 1980 he competed at the Olympic Games
Athletics at the 1980 Summer Olympics - Men's long jump
The Men's Long Jump at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Soviet Union had an entrylist of 32 competitors, with two qualifying groups before the final took place on Monday July 28, 1980...

 in Moscow, finishing fourth. Then, despite jumping even better at the 1981 European Indoor Championships
1981 European Indoor Championships in Athletics
The 12th European Athletics Indoor Championships were held in Grenoble, a city in France, in 1981. It was the second time the championships were held in Grenoble.-Track:-Field:-Medal table:-External links:* at GBRathletics.com* at GBRathletics.com...

, Szalma only finished fourth with 7.90 metres, eleven centimetres behind the winner Rolf Bernhard
Rolf Bernhard
Rolf Bernhard is a retired long jumper from Switzerland. A three-time Olympian he won two medals at the European Indoor Championships.-Achievements:-References:*...

. In the summer he won the gold medal at the 1981 Summer Universiade
1981 Summer Universiade
The 1981 Summer Universiade, also known as the XI Summer Universiade, took place in Bucharest, Romania. The events were watched by 200,000 spectators.-Medal table:-External links:*...

. At the 1982 European Indoor Championships
1982 European Indoor Championships in Athletics
The 13th European Athletics Indoor Championships were held at Palasport di San Siro in Milan, a city in Italy, in 1982. It was the second time the championships were held in Milan.-Track:-Field:-Medal table:-External links:* at GBRathletics.com...

, there was an eleven centimetre gap between first and seventh place; Szalma finished in between at a fifth place. At the 1982 European Championships
1982 European Championships in Athletics - Men's Long Jump
These are the official results of the Men's long jump event at the 1982 European Championships in Athens, Greece. The final was held on 9 September 1982.-Final:-See also:* 1978 Men's European Championships Long Jump...

 he dropped slightly to an eleventh place.

In 1983 Szalma competed at the inaugural World Championships
1983 World Championships in Athletics - Men's Long Jump
These are the official results of the Men's Long Jump event at the 1983 IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. There were a total of 34 participating athletes, with two qualifying groups and the final held on 10 August 1983.-Medalists:...

. He leapt 7.97 metres to progress from the qualifying round, and finished fourth in the final with 8.12 metres. He missed the 1984 Summer Olympics
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...

 due to the Soviet-led 1984 Summer Olympics boycott
1984 Summer Olympics boycott
The boycott of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. The boycott was a follow up to the American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. The boycott involved 14 Eastern Bloc countries and allies, led by the Soviet Union who initiated the boycott on May 8, 1984, and joined...

, but repeated the fourth place at the 1985 World Indoor Games
1985 IAAF World Indoor Games
The World Indoor Games were arranged by the IAAF and held at the Palais Omnisports Paris-Bercy in Paris, France from January 18 to January 19, 1985. In 1987 the championship was renamed to the World Indoor Championships. There were a total number of 319 participating athletes from 69...

. During the 1984–85 indoor season he also won the silver medal at the European Indoor Championships
1985 European Indoor Championships in Athletics
The 16th European Athletics Indoor Championships were held at the Peace and Friendship Stadium, Athens/Piraeus in Greece, in 1985.-Track:-Field:-Medal table:-External links:* at GBRathletics.com* at GBRathletics.com*...

. It was a very tight competition, with Szalma tying the winner, his compatriot Gyula Pálóczi
Gyula Pálóczi
Gyula Pálóczi was a Hungarian athlete who specialized in the long jump and triple jump. He won two medals at the European Indoor Championships, and due to his versatility the European Athletic Association has called him "the most successful jumper Hungary has ever produced".-Long jump:Pálóczi...

, on 8.15 metres but with Pálóczi winning on countback. Also, Szalma was one centimetre ahead of bronze medalist Sergey Layevskiy
Sergey Layevskiy
Sergey Layevskiy is a retired long jumper who represented the USSR and later Ukraine. He won a bronze medal at the 1985 European Indoor Championships and a silver medal at the 1986 European Championships.-Achievements:-External links:...

 and two centimetres ahead of fourth placer Ján Leitner
Jan Leitner
Jan Leitner is a retired long jumper who represented Czechoslovakia. His greatest achievements were gold medals at the European Indoor and World Indoor Championships in 1984 and 1985.- Major achievements :...

. In the summer he jumped a career best of 8.30 metres, in July in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...

. The result is the Hungarian record, and also the best result in Europe that year. At the end of the season he finished third at the 1985 World Cup
1985 IAAF World Cup
The 4th IAAF World Cup in Athletics was an international track and field sporting event sponsored by the International Association of Athletics Federations, held on October 4–6, 1985, at the Bruce Stadium in Canberra, Australia.-Men:|width="50"| ...

, tying with but losing to Robert Emmiyan
Robert Emmiyan
Robert Emmiyan is a retired long jumper who represented USSR and later Armenia. His personal best jump of 8.86 metres, which he achieved in Tsakhkadzor in May 1987, is the current European record and also the fourth best result of all time .His achievements include a silver medal at the 1987 World...

 at 8.09 metres.

At the 1986 European Indoor Championships
1986 European Indoor Championships in Athletics
The 17th European Athletics Indoor Championships were held in Madrid, a city in Spain, in 1986.- Track :- Field :- Medal table :- External links :* at GBRathletics.com* at GBRathletics.com*...

  Szalma won his second silver medal in a row, but this time with a jump of 8.24 metres, which was a career best on the indoor track. In 1987 there were two indoor championships, with Szalma finishing fourth at the European
1987 European Indoor Championships in Athletics
The 18th European Athletics Indoor Championships were held at Stade Couvert Régional in Liévin, a city in France, in 1987.-Track:-Field:-Medal table:-External links:* at GBRathletics.com* at GBRathletics.com*...

 and sixth at the 1987 World Indoor Championships. In 1988 he won his last silver medal at the European Indoor Championships
1987 European Indoor Championships in Athletics
The 18th European Athletics Indoor Championships were held at Stade Couvert Régional in Liévin, a city in France, in 1987.-Track:-Field:-Medal table:-External links:* at GBRathletics.com* at GBRathletics.com*...

, finishing three centimetres behind Frans Maas
Frans Maas
Frans Maas is a retired Dutch long jumper, best known for his gold medal at the 1988 European Indoor Championships.-Achievements:-External links:...

 and three ahead of Giovanni Evangelisti
Giovanni Evangelisti
Giovanni Evangelisti is a retired long jumper from Italy. His greatest achievements were the Olympic bronze medal in 1984 and three World Indoor bronze medals...

. In the summer he competed at the 1988 Olympic Games
Athletics at the 1988 Summer Olympics - Men's long jump
The Men's Long Jump at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea had an entrylist of 38 competitors, with two qualifying groups before the final took place on Sunday September 25, 1988.-Medalists:-Abbreviations:...

, finishing sixth both in the qualifying round and in the final. In 1989 he finished fourth at both the European
1989 European Indoor Championships in Athletics
The 20th European Athletics Indoor Championships were held in The Hague, Netherlands, in 1989.-Track:-Field:-Medal table:-External links:* at GBRathletics.com* at GBRathletics.com*...

 and the 1989 World Indoor Championships
1989 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Men's long jump
This page lists the results from the men's long jump event at the 1989 World Indoor Championships.-Medallists:-Final:-Qualification:...

.

At his final European Indoor Championships in 1990
1990 European Indoor Championships in Athletics
The 21st European Athletics Indoor Championships were held in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1990.-Track:-Field:-Medal table:-External links:* at GBRathletics.com* at GBRathletics.com*...

, Szalma only managed a fifteenth place. At his third Olympic participation, two years later, he did not manage to reach the final of the long jump competition
Athletics at the 1992 Summer Olympics - Men's long jump
These are the official results of the Men's Long Jump event at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. There were a total number of 53 participating athletes, with two qualifying groups.-Medalists:-Abbreviations:...

.

He became the Hungarian long jump champion in 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985 and 1988, rivalling with Béla Bakosi
Béla Bakosi
Béla Bakosi is a retired triple jumper from Hungary. He won six medals at the European Indoor Championships and a bronze medal at the 1982 European Championships in Athletics.-Achievements:-External links:...

, Gyula Pálóczi, Zsolt Szabó and Csaba Almási
Csaba Almási
Csaba Almási is a retired Hungarian long jumper.He was born in Miskolc. He finished fifteenth at the 1989 European Indoor Championships and twelfth at the 1989 World Indoor Championships. He also competed at the 1991 World Indoor Championships, the 1991 World Championships, the 1992 Olympic Games...

. He also became Hungarian indoor champion in the years 1977 through 1990, except for one year, as Gyula Pálóczi won in 1985. Szalma stands 1.91 metre tall, and during his active career he weighed 90 kilograms (198.4 lb).
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