Magda Gál
Magda Gál (* 1909 in Szeged ; † 1990 ) was a Hungarian table tennis player and eight times vice world champion.
Career
Magda Gál was born in Szeged in 1909 as the daughter of a banking family. From 1929 to 1938 she was nominated for all ten world championships . In 1937 she married the Hungarian table tennis player Tibor Házi . In March 1939 the couple emigrated to the United States because they feared problems in Europe because of their Jewish origins. On a tour through several American cities, they showed their skills in exhibition fights. They became American citizens in November 1941. Even after the Second World War , they did not return to Hungary. They lived in Bethesda, Maryland . In 1942 she ended her active career.
Sporting successes
At the National Hungarian Championships Magda Gál won the title in doubles five times, namely in 1931 and 1935 with Anna Sipos , in 1934 and 1936 with Mária Mednyánszky and in 1937 with Dóra Beregi . In 1937 she became the Hungarian individual champion.
At world championships she reached eight finals, none of which she could win:
- 1929 in mixed with László Bellák , loss to István Kelen / Anna Sipos
- 1930 in doubles with Marta Komaromi , defeat against Mária Mednyánszky / Anna Sipos
- 1931 in doubles with Lili Tiszai-Tenner , loss to Mária Mednyánszky / Anna Sipos
- 1933 in doubles with Emiline Racz , defeat against Mária Mednyánszky / Anna Sipos
- 1933 mixed with Sándor Glancz , defeat against István Kelen / Mária Mednyánszky
- 1934 with the team, defeat against Germany
- 1935 in singles, loss to Marie Kettnerová
- 1935 with the team, defeat against Czechoslovakia
She was also in the semi-finals twelve times.
In the ITTF world rankings , Magda Gál was ranked fifth in 1932.
Results from the ITTF database
| year | place | country | singles | Double | Mixed | team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | Wembley |
 England
|
last 64 | Quarter finals | last 32 | 4th |
| 1937 | to bathe |
 Austria
|
last 32 | Quarter finals | last 16 | 8th |
| 1936 | Prague |
 Czechoslovakia
|
Quarter finals | Semifinals | Quarter finals | 5 |
| 1935 | Wembley |
England
|
silver | Quarter finals | Quarter finals | 2 |
| 1934 | Paris |
 France
|
Semifinals | Semifinals | last 16 | 2 |
| 1933 | to bathe |
Austria
|
Semifinals | silver | silver | |
| 1932 | Prague |
Czechoslovakia
|
Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | |
| 1931 | Budapest |
 Hungary
|
Semifinals | silver | Semifinals | |
| 1930 | Berlin |
 BR Germany
|
last 32 | silver | Semifinals | |
| 1929 | Budapest |
Hungary
|
Semifinals | Semifinals | silver | |
| Source: | ||||||
Individual evidence
- ↑ Tim Boggan : USATT Hall of Fame Inductee (1979) - EMILY FULLER. (accessed on November 29, 2015)
- ^ A b Tim Boggan : History of US Table Tennis. Volume 1, Chapter XXXIII, 2000 (accessed November 29, 2015)
- ↑ Tibor Frank: Patterns of Interwar Hungarian Immigration to the United States 2003 (accessed on September 28, 2011; PDF; 1.8 MB)
- ^ A b Tim Boggan : History of US Table Tennis. Volume II, Chapter VIII (accessed November 29, 2015)
- ↑ Center Jewish History (free registration required, accessed September 28, 2011)
- ↑ World rankings from 1928 to 1986 (accessed on September 29, 2011; PDF; 148 kB)
- ↑ Magda Gál results from the ITTF database on ittf.com (accessed September 28, 2011)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Gál, Magda |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Házi, Magda (married name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Hungarian table tennis player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1909 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Szeged |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1990 |