Zoltan Magyar
Encyclopedia
Zoltán Magyar (born 13 December 1953 in Budapest
, Hungary
) was the premier pommel horse
gymnast
in the world in the 1970s. Magyar had two moves named after him, the Magyar spindle (turning the body in the opposite direction from the circling legs) and the Magyar travel (crosswise circling travel down the horse).
Magyar finished his career with two Olympic, three world, three European and two World Cup titles on his specialty.
He won the Olympic gold in 1976 and 1980; world championships gold in 1974, 1978 and 1979; European championships gold in 1973, 1975 and 1977; and World Cup gold in 1975 and 1978. His largest margin of victory came at the 1978 World Championships, which he won by 0.375 points. For his achievements he was named Hungarian Sportsman of the year in 1974, 1978 and 1980.
In major all-around competitions, Magyar was ubiquitous but less successful. In Olympic all-around finals, he placed 29th in 1972, ninth in 1976 and ninth in 1980. In world championship all-arounds, he was 15th in 1974, 12th in 1978 and 18th in 1979.
Magyar retired following the 1980 Olympics. Since his departure, he has focused on his lifelong goal as a veterinarian. He currently operates a vet hospital and still resides 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...
, Hungary
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...
) was the premier pommel horse
Pommel horse
The pommel horse is an artistic gymnastics apparatus. Traditionally, it is used by only male gymnasts. Originally made of a metal frame with a wooden body and a leather cover, modern pommel horses have a metal body covered with foam rubber and leather, with plastic handles .- History :The pommel...
gymnast
Artistic gymnastics
Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics where gymnasts perform short routines on different apparatus, with less time for vaulting . The sport is governed by the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique , which designs the Code of Points and regulates all aspects of international elite...
in the world in the 1970s. Magyar had two moves named after him, the Magyar spindle (turning the body in the opposite direction from the circling legs) and the Magyar travel (crosswise circling travel down the horse).
Magyar finished his career with two Olympic, three world, three European and two World Cup titles on his specialty.
He won the Olympic gold in 1976 and 1980; world championships gold in 1974, 1978 and 1979; European championships gold in 1973, 1975 and 1977; and World Cup gold in 1975 and 1978. His largest margin of victory came at the 1978 World Championships, which he won by 0.375 points. For his achievements he was named Hungarian Sportsman of the year in 1974, 1978 and 1980.
In major all-around competitions, Magyar was ubiquitous but less successful. In Olympic all-around finals, he placed 29th in 1972, ninth in 1976 and ninth in 1980. In world championship all-arounds, he was 15th in 1974, 12th in 1978 and 18th in 1979.
Magyar retired following the 1980 Olympics. Since his departure, he has focused on his lifelong goal as a veterinarian. He currently operates a vet hospital and still resides in Budapest.