 Halmay in 1905 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 18 June 1881 Magasfalu, Hungary |
| Died | 20 May 1956 (aged 74) Budapest, Hungary |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Swimming |
Medal record | |
Zoltán Imre Ödön Halmay de Erdőtelek (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈzoltaːn ˈhɒlmɒi]; 18 June 1881 – 20 May 1956) was a Hungarian Olympic swimmer. He competed in four Olympics (1900 – 1908), winning the following medals:
- 1900: silver (200 m, 4000 m freestyle), bronze (1000 m freestyle)
- 1904: gold (50yd, 100yd freestyle)
- 1906: gold (4×250 m freestyle relay), silver (100 m freestyle) (these games are now not officially recognized by the IOC)
- 1908: silver (100 m freestyle; 4 × 200 m freestyle relay)
Zoltán Halmay, who was a two-time Olympic champion, was the most successful sportsman in freestyle swimming. In 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 at the Intercalated Games. 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. 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 (Magasfalu).
