BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Ágnes Keleti, a Holocaust survivor and the oldest living Olympic medal winner, has passed away at the age of 103. The Hungarian state news agency reported that Keleti died in Budapest on Thursday morning. Her death comes after being hospitalized in critical condition with pneumonia since December 25.
Keleti made a lasting mark in the world of gymnastics, clinching a remarkable total of 10 Olympic medals, five of which were gold. Her victories came at the 1952 Helsinki Games and the 1956 Melbourne Games, representing Hungary. Overcoming the tragic loss of her father and numerous relatives during the Holocaust, Keleti emerged as one of the most accomplished Jewish Olympic athletes in history.
Reflecting on her life as she approached her centennial milestone, Keleti shared with The Associated Press, “These 100 years felt to me like 60. I live well. And I love life. It’s great that I’m still healthy.”
Born Ágnes Klein in Budapest in 1921, Keleti’s athletic journey was interrupted by the tumult of World War II and the subsequent cancellation of the 1940 and 1944 Olympics. Due to her Jewish heritage, she was forced to leave her gymnastics team in 1941. In order to survive the Holocaust, Keleti assumed a false identity and worked as a maid in the Hungarian countryside.
While Keleti’s mother and sister were able to survive the war with the assistance of renowned Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, her father and other family members tragically perished at Auschwitz, part of the devastating toll of over half a million Hungarian Jews killed by Nazi death camps and Hungarian Nazi collaborators.
After the war, Keleti resumed her gymnastics career, with hopes of competing in the 1948 London Olympics. However, a last-minute ankle injury thwarted her participation. Nonetheless, she made her Olympic debut at the 1952 Helsinki Games at the age of 31, achieving a gold medal in the floor exercise along with a silver and two bronzes. In 1956, Keleti shone as the most successful athlete at the Melbourne Olympics, securing four gold and two silver medals.
Despite her triumphs in Melbourne where she became the oldest gold medalist in gymnastics history at 35, Keleti found herself in the midst of political turmoil as the Soviet Union invaded Hungary following an unsuccessful anti-Soviet uprising. Opting to stay in Australia, she sought political asylum before eventually relocating to Israel the subsequent year.
In Israel, Keleti embarked on a new chapter of her career, working as a trainer and coaching the Israeli Olympic gymnastics team until the 1990s. Her legacy as a tenacious survivor and a trailblazing athlete endures, inspiring generations with her resilience and indomitable spirit.
