Attila Vajda (born 17 March 1983) is a Hungarian
sprint canoeist who has competed since the early 2000s. Competing in three
Summer Olympics
The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...
(04, 08, 12) he has won two medals in the C-1 1000 m event with a gold in
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
and a bronze in
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
.
Vajda was a European junior champion in 2000, winning the
Canadian canoe
Canadian is the byname used in some countries for the descendants of the birch bark canoe that was used by the indigenous peoples of Northern America as a convenient means of transportation in the densely forested and impassable areas of Nor ...
C-2 1000 m title with
Démász-Szeged team-mate
Márton Joób
Márton Joób (born 24 June 1982 in Szeged) is a Hungarian sprint canoeist and a politician. He is married to Dóra, and they has 11 children.
Sports career
As an athlete he has competed since 2003. He won four medals at the ICF Cano ...
in
Boulogne
Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the ...
, France. In 2002 the pair came second at the European under-23 championships in
Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...
, Croatia in the same event.
Hungarian coach
Zoltán Angyal was confident of Vajda's ability but took the decision not to give him his senior international debut in 2002 or 2003. In 2004, Angyal was still keeping his cards close to his chest. The Hungarian team did not take part in the early season international regattas: at the European Championships Hungary was represented in the C-1 races by Márton Joób and
Sándor Malomsoki
Sándor Malomsoki is a Hungarian sprint canoeist who competed in the early 2000s. He won a gold medal in the C-4 200 m event at the 2003 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships
The 2003 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held Septem ...
. Angyal then shocked his rival coaches by selecting Vajda as his "secret weapon" for the
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...
in the C-1 1000 m event.
In his initial heat with a time of 3:57.290, Vajda qualified for the semifinals. There, he placed second, this time at 3:52.236, advancing to the final round. Vajda won a bronze in the event behind
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
's
David Cal
David Cal Figueroa (born 10 October 1982) is a Spanish sprint canoeist who has competed since 1999. Competing in three Summer Olympics, he has won five medals with a gold (C-1 1000 m: 2004 Summer Olympics) and four silvers (C-1 500 m: 2004, 20 ...
and
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
's
Andreas Dittmer
Andreas Dittmer (born 16 April 1972 in Neustrelitz, Bezirk Neubrandenburg) is a German sprint canoeist. The dominant sprint canoeist of his generation in 1000 m races, he has won three Olympic and eight world championship gold medals.
Dittmer ...
, but beat out 1996 Olympic champion
Martin Doktor with a time of 3:49.025.
Hungary is one of the few countries in the world where sprint canoeists have the status of stars known to the general public and Vajda suddenly found himself the new "golden boy" of Hungarian canoeing. His performances in 2005 suffered as a result of these distractions; he started the season overweight and failed to make the podium in any major international race.
In 2006 he won the national title over all three distances and, in May, beat a top-class international field at
Duisburg
Duisburg () is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine and the Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruhr Region, Duisburg is the 5th largest city in Nor ...
. Injury prevented him from appearing at the European championships, but he was determined not to miss the
2006 World Championships, held in his hometown of
Szeged
Szeged ( , ; see also #Etymology, other alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county seat ...
. He recovered in time to take the C-1 1000 m bronze medal behind surprise winner
Everardo Cristóbal
José Everardo Cristóbal Quirino (born August 11, 1986 in Urandén, Michoacán) is a Mexican sprint canoeist who has been competing since 2005.
His first successful international performance was in 2006, when he won the silver medal in C ...
of Mexico and Germany's Andreas Dittmer. Vadja won the gold medal in the same event at the
following world championships in
Duisburg
Duisburg () is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine and the Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruhr Region, Duisburg is the 5th largest city in Nor ...
.
At the
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...
in
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
, Vajda wore a black armband in dedication to his fallen teammate
György Kolonics and dedicated his C-1 1000 m gold in Kolonics' honor. He would win the
Hungarian Sportsman of The Year
Hungarian Sportspeople of the Year awards are granted each year since 1958, with categories for sportsmen, sportswomen, teams, coaches (since 1985) and presidents (since 1995).
List of winners
Statistics
Individual winners of three or mor ...
for his Beijing win.
Vajda won a silver in the C-1 4 × 200 m event at the
2009 championships in
Dartmouth. He also won a silver in the C-1 1000 m at the
2010 championships.
In June 2015, he competed in the
inaugural European Games, for
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
in
canoe sprint
Canoe sprint is a water sport in which athletes race canoes or kayaks on calm water.
Overview
Race categories vary by the number of athletes in the boat, the length of the course, and whether the boat is a canoe or kayak. Canoe sprints are so ...
, more specifically, Men's C-1 1000m. He earned a bronze medal.
Sponsors
*
Herbalife
Herbalife Nutrition Ltd., also called Herbalife International, Inc. (with a U.S. subsidiary called Herbalife International of America) or simply Herbalife, is a global multi-level marketing (MLM) corporation that develops and sells dietary sup ...
*
MOL
*
EDF Energy
EDF Energy is a British integrated energy company, wholly owned by the French state-owned EDF (Électricité de France), with operations spanning electricity generation and the sale of natural gas and electricity to homes and businesses through ...
* A-HID
*
Naturtex
Awards
*
Cross of Merit of the Republic of Hungary – Golden Cross (2004)
* Hungarian canoer of the Year (8): 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014
* Junior Príma award (2007)
*
Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary – Officer's Cross (2008)
*
Hungarian Sportman of the Year (1) - votes of sports journalists: 2008
* Hungarian Athlete of the Year (1) - the National Sports Association (NSSZ) awards: 2008
* Ministerial Certificate of Merit (2012)
*
Csongrád County
Csongrád ( ro, Ciongrad; tr, Conğrad sr, Чонград, Čongrad, archaically also ''Црноград/Crnograd'') is a town in Csongrád County in southern Hungary.
History
At the time of the Hungarian Conquest (the end of 9th century) the ...
Sportman of Year by Délmagyarország (2013)
External links
*
Canoe09.ca profile*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vajda, Attila
1983 births
Canoeists at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Canoeists at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Canoeists at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Hungarian male canoeists
Living people
Olympic canoeists of Hungary
Olympic gold medalists for Hungary
Olympic bronze medalists for Hungary
Sportspeople from Szeged
Olympic medalists in canoeing
Officer's Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (civil)
ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships medalists in Canadian
Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics
European Games medalists in canoeing
Canoeists at the 2015 European Games
European Games bronze medalists for Hungary