Ten Olympic medals, including five golds, defined the career of Ágnes Keleti, an athlete whose prowess spanned two decades of artistic gymnastics. A survivor of the Holocaust, she achieved her most dominant performances in middle age, becoming the oldest female gymnast to secure an Olympic gold medal at the 1956 Melbourne Games.
Early Life and War Survival
Born Agnes Klein in Budapest in 1921, she adopted the surname Keleti to project a more Hungarian identity. She began training at age four and became a national champion by age 16. During the Second World War, she faced expulsion from her gymnastics club due to her Jewish heritage. She avoided deportation by marrying István Sárkány and assuming the identity of a Christian maid in the countryside. While her mother and sister escaped through the assistance of diplomats Carl Lutz and Raoul Wallenberg, her father and other relatives were killed in the Auschwitz concentration camp. During the final months of the war, she endured the Siege of Budapest.
Ascent in Gymnastics
Following the war, she balanced a career as a professional cellist with her athletic training. After winning the 1947 Central European gymnastics title, she qualified for the 1948 Olympics but was forced to withdraw due to a torn ankle ligament. At the 1949 World University Games, she secured four gold, one silver, and one bronze medal. Her debut Olympic appearance arrived at the 1952 Helsinki Games, where she earned a gold in the floor exercise, silver in the team event, and two bronzes. She cemented her reputation by winning the uneven bars title at the 1954 World Championships.
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At the 1956 Summer Olympics, the 35-year-old Keleti won six medals, including three individual golds in floor, bars, and balance beam. Amid the Soviet invasion of Hungary, she chose to seek political asylum in Australia. In 1957, she moved to Israel, where she married Robert Biro and raised two sons, Daniel and Rafael. She transitioned into coaching and served as a physical education instructor at Tel Aviv University and the Wingate Institute for Sports in Netanya for 34 years. She returned to her native Budapest permanently in 2015.
Longevity and Final Years
Keleti lived to become the longest-lived Olympic champion in history, surpassing Sándor Tarics in 2023. Her career earned her numerous accolades, including the Israeli Prize in 2017 and the Hungarian Order of Merit in 1951. She died in Budapest on 2 January 2025, just over a week before her 104th birthday, following a period of hospitalization for pneumonia. She was interred at the Kozma Street Jewish Cemetery.
Fast facts
- Born: 1921, Budapest
- Died: 2025, Budapest
- Olympic medals: 10
- Gold medals: 5
- Immigrated to Israel: 1957
- Israel Prize winner: 2017
- Oldest living Olympic champion: 2019-2025
- Burial site: Kozma Street Jewish Cemetery
Questions readers ask
How many Olympic medals did Ágnes Keleti win?
She won 10 Olympic medals: five gold, three silver, and two bronze.
Did Ágnes Keleti live in Israel?
Yes, she immigrated to Israel in 1957 and worked as a physical education teacher and coach there for several decades.
What was her age when she retired from Olympic competition?
She was 35 years old during the 1956 Melbourne Games, her final Olympic competition.
Achievements
- Hungarian Order of Merit
- International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
- International Gymnastics Hall of Fame
- Competed at the 1952 Summer Olympics
- Competed at the 1956 Summer Olympics
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