Ágnes Keleti, a Holocaust survivor, and the oldest living Olympic medalist, has passed away at the age of 103 after a recent hospitalization. She was set to celebrate her 104th birthday on January 9th.
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Keleti, who was admitted to the hospital on Christmas Day in critical condition due to pneumonia, passed away on Thursday, January 2, in Budapest, per the Hungarian state news agency via the Associated Press.
Keleti’s remarkable gymnastics career saw her claim 10 Olympic medals. These included five golds, at the 1952 Helsinki Games and the 1956 Melbourne Games. Her achievements are even more extraordinary considering that, in 1941, she was removed from her gymnastics team due to her Jewish heritage, per the AP.
Ágnes Keleti: 1921 – 2025 ❤️
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) January 2, 2025
We’ll always remember the hope that was in the five-time Olympic champion’s eyes as she turned 100 years old and witnessed the emergence of a new generation of athletes.#Olympics #Gymnastics pic.twitter.com/MbOIQrYCRY
Born in Budapest, Keleti survived the horrors of the Holocaust by assuming a false identity and working as a maid in hiding. Tragically, many of her relatives, including her father, were killed in Auschwitz.
Ágnes Keleti Overcame Nearly Impossible Setbacks on Her Path to Olympic Gold
Keleti’s career faced significant setbacks during World War II, with the Olympics canceled in 1940 and 1944. She was further hindered by an ankle injury in 1948. Despite these challenges, she made an extraordinary comeback years later, surviving the Holocaust and reclaiming her place in athletics.
She shone in the floor exercise, her strongest event, winning a gold medal at the 1952 Games. At 31, she also earned a silver medal and two bronze medals.
After concluding her illustrious gymnastics career, Keleti dedicated the later years of her life to Israel. There, she became an athletic trainer and coached the Israeli Olympic gymnastics team, a role she held until the 1990s.
Following the announcement of her passing, the International Olympic Committee honored her remarkable legacy in the world of gymnastics.
“Agnes Keleti is the greatest gymnast produced by Hungary, but one whose life and career were intertwined with the politics of her country and her religion,” the Committee said, per The Guardian.
On her 100th birthday, Keleti shared her thoughts on reaching the century mark with the Associated Press.
“These 100 years felt to me like 60,” she revealed in 2021. “I live well. And I love life. It’s great that I’m still healthy.”