Condolences: Ágnes Keleti
At 103 years old, Ágnes Keleti was the world’s oldest living Olympic gold medalist. According to the Olympics, Keleti is considered the greatest gymnast from Hungary. She was a world champion, Holocaust survivor, and a five-time Olympic gold medalist. Keleti was born into a Jewish family in Budapest on January 9, 1921. Her interest in gymnastics began before WWII, and by the time she was 16, she had become the Hungarian National Champion in gymnastics.
As her career was taking off, it was abruptly put on hold during WWII when she was expelled from her gymnastics club for being Jewish. Keleti’s father was murdered in Auschwitz. She and the rest of her family were ultimately saved by Holocaust hero Raoul Wallenberg.
Following the war, Keleti resumed her gymnastics career, and in 1946, she won her first Hungarian championship on the uneven parallel bars. She went on to become the world champion in the same category in 1954. Keleti has won 10 Olympic medals, 5 of which were gold. In 1957, she moved to Israel and competed in the Maccabiah Games the same year. She passed away this morning in Budapest, just days before her 104th birthday. May her memory be a blessing.
