Károly Takács

Some Lesser Known Facts About Károly Takács

• Károly Takács was a Hungarian Olympic athlete, who is known as the third athlete in the world with a physical disability to compete in the Olympic Games.

• He was a sergeant in the Hungarian army. In 1936, he expressed his desire to join the Hungarian shooting team for the 1936 Summer Olympics; however, he couldn’t join due to his non-commissioned rank. This rule was changed in Hungary after the Berlin Games.

• In 1938, during his military training, a faulty grenade explosion injured his right hand severely; however, instead of quitting shooting, he decided to switch to shooting with his left hand. He practised shooting in secret and surprised everyone by winning the Hungarian national pistol shooting championship in early 1939. He was also a part of the Hungarian team that won at the 1939 UIT World Shooting Championships in the event.

• In 1948, when he was 38 years old, he secured a gold medal in the 25-meter rapid-fire pistol event at the London Summer Olympics by defeating his favourite shooter and opponent, the world champion shooter Carlos Enrique Díaz Sáenz Valiente.

• He won another gold in 1952 at the Helsinki Summer Olympics in the same event.

• He participated in the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, where he secured eighth position.

• He then went on to win 35 Hungarian national shooting championships.

  

• Due to his remarkable accomplishments, he is recognized as one of the ‘Olympic heroes’ of the International Olympic Committee.

• In 1948, Dominica issued a commemorative stamp as a tribute to him.

  

• After retiring from his shooting career, he became a shooting coach. He mentored Szilárd Kun, a Hungarian sports shooter, who later earned the silver medal at the 1952 Summer Olympics.

• During his final days in the military, he served on the position of a lieutenant colonel.

• He was laid to rest at the New Public Cemetery in Budapest.

  

• In May 2023, Sid Boyka, an author, released a book titled ‘The Life Story Of Unbreakable Spirit & Success: Karoly Tekacs.’ The book tells the inspiring journey of Karoly Tekacs’s life.

  

• In August 2023, R. Balki, an Indian filmmaker, released a film called ‘Ghoomer,’ which was loosely based on the life story of Károly Takács.