Agnes Keleti, Holocaust Survivor and Oldest Olympic Champion, Dies at 103

Agnes Keleti, the world’s oldest Olympic champion and a Holocaust survivor, has died at the age of 103. She passed away on Thursday in a Budapest hospital after being hospitalized for pneumonia, her press official confirmed.

Keleti’s extraordinary life included surviving the Holocaust, achieving Olympic greatness, and demonstrating remarkable resilience.

Born in Budapest on January 9, 1921, as Agnes Klein, she changed her surname to Keleti later in life. Despite being barred from sports in 1940 due to her Jewish heritage, she secretly trained while working as a maid under a false Christian identity during the Nazi occupation.

Her father and other family members were killed in Auschwitz, but her mother and sister were saved by Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg.

Keleti emerged from the war to become Hungary’s most decorated gymnast, winning 10 Olympic medals, including five golds, after the age of 30. She competed in Helsinki in 1952 and Melbourne in 1956.

Keleti fled communist Hungary following the 1956 uprising and settled in Israel, where she married, raised two children, and coached the national gymnastics team. She later returned to Hungary in 2015.

Tributes have poured in, including from International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, who praised her courage and determination, and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Keleti’s legacy lives on as an enduring symbol of resilience and achievement against overwhelming odds.