98-year-old Hungarian Olympic and world champion still exercises 3-4 hours a day
On Sunday, Gábor Benedek became the world’s oldest living Olympic champion. The former pentathlete, who also won a world championship, now lives in Germany but often returns home to visit the places of his youth, including Csepel, where he trained for many years, while his brother worked as a coach.
Hungary’s oldest living Olympic champion once again
According to the Hungarian News Agency (MTI), Gábor Benedek enjoys good health and still covers long distances on foot. He is the oldest living Olympic gold medallist following the death of Nikita Simonyan. Benedek was also the first Hungarian to win Olympic and world titles in modern pentathlon.
MTI reached Benedek at his home in Germany by phone after lunch, just before his afternoon rest. He was a member of Hungary’s first Olympic gold-winning modern pentathlon team (1952) and became the country’s first individual world champion in the sport (1953). Interestingly, he was unaware that he had become the oldest living Olympic gold medallist. When congratulated as the oldest living Olympic champion, he replied: “That’s not me, there’s a Russian who is older.”
When he learned of Simonyan’s passing on Sunday, he responded: “Is that so? Well, things like that happen, and I will die one day too.”
Earlier this year, Ágnes Keleti was the oldest living Olympic champion until she passed away just before her 104th birthday. After her, a French and a Russian Olympian held the title until Gábor Benedek inherited it on Sunday.
Still keeping active
“Luckily, I can’t complain; I’m very well for my age. My son is actually in Budapest for a few days, and he takes care of me, along with my grandchildren when they’re here,” the world champion added.
A few years ago, Benedek shared that he was still running regularly. “Yes, I was still running four years ago, although it was slow running. Now I walk. My morning walks last about two hours, then I have lunch and rest – I’m just about to rest now – and later in the late afternoon or early evening, I walk again for about an hour and a half,” he revealed.
About visiting home, he said: “I’ve become more sensitive to the cold, so I don’t travel at this time of year. I’ll go during the summer. We have a summer house in Pilismarót, and I love spending my summers there.”
Born on 23 March 1927, Gábor Benedek became the oldest living Olympic champion after the previous record holder, Nikita Simonyan, passed away at the age of ninety-nine on Sunday. Simonyan had won gold with the Soviet team in 1956.
Read also:
- After the fiasco against the Irish, Marco Rossi may resign: leaked news on the likely decision
- Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai may stand on the brink of a huge opportunity, yet it seems he might not take it
Click for more sport-related news.