Aladár Gerevich Athlete

Aladár Gerevich (16 March 1910 in Jászberény – 14 May 1991 in Budapest) was a fencer from Hungary, regarded as "the greatest Olympic swordsman ever". He won medals in sabre in six Olympics. With Birgit Fischer, Gerevich was one of only two athletes to do so. He is also the only athlete to win the same event six times (despite two games passed because of the Second World War). The War could not interfere with perhaps his most impressive record, however; he won gold medals in 1932 and 1960, an unprecedented 28 years apart. Gerevich's wife, Erna Bogen (also known as Erna Bogathy), his son, Pal Gerevich, and his father-in-law, Albert Bogen, all received Olympic medals in fencing. In the Hungarian Olympic trials for the 1960 Rome Olympics, the fencing committee told Gerevich that he was too old to compete. He silenced them by challenging the entire sabre team to individual matches and winning every match. He missed the finals of the 1960 Olympic individual sabre event, and a possible individual gold medal, by a single touch. He died in Budapest.

Personal facts

Birth dateMarch 16, 1910
Birth place
Hungary , Jászberény
Date of deathMay 14, 1991
Place of death
Hungary , Budapest

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