Ernő Kolczonay

Ernő Kolczonay (born May 15, 1953 in Budapest ; † October 4, 2009 ibid) was a Hungarian fencer who took part in the Olympic Games three times and won two medals.

Career

Ernő Kolczonay started in 1964 for Budapesti Honvéd Sportegyesület and since 1969 for Fless Vívóiskola és Sport Club . The fencer, who was successful between the mid-1970s and the early 1990s, initially started with foil and epee , later he primarily competed in epee competitions and was the only one in this discipline to achieve international success.

Kolczonay won his first medal with the team at the 1974 World Championships in Grenoble . At the 1978 World Championships in Hamburg, he won his first and only gold medal with the Hungarian team at a major international event. A year later he won in Melbourne Cup is silver in the individual competition. In Moscow Kolczonay took in 1980 to his first Olympics in part and single sword had to the only Swede Johan Harmenberg beaten. He finished eighth with the team and sixth with the Degen team. In 1981 the Hungarian won bronze again with the team at the World Championships in Clermont-Ferrand, and bronze in the individual competition at the European Championships in Foggia . Kolczonay won his last international medals in world and continental championships with bronze at the World Championships in Rome , both individually and with the team as well as in singles at the European Championships in Mödling .

In 1984 he was unable to participate in the Los Angeles Games due to the blockade of the Eastern Bloc . The 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul became Hungary's second games. With the Degen team he was sixth, in the individual tenth. His last major event was the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona . Kolczonay only appeared in the team with Iván Kovács , Krisztián Kulcsár , Gábor Totola and Ferenc Hegedűs , and ended his successful career by winning the silver medal. In the final, the Hungarians lost to the German team with Elmar Borrmann , Robert Felisiak , Wladimir Resnitschenko , Uwe Proske and Arnd Schmitt .

After his active career, Kolczonay was among other things a coach in Greece. Since 2008 he has been waiting for a donor organ because of a liver disease.

Web links

• Ernő Kolczonay in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )
• History of the World Fencing Championships (men's sword) from sport-komplett.de
• History European Fencing Championships (men's swords) from sport-komplett.de
• Obituary. Inforádió, October 4, 2009, accessed August 6, 2014 (Hungarian). 
• Obituary. origo.hu, October 4, 2009, accessed August 6, 2014 (Hungarian).