Zoltán Magyar (born 13 December 1953) was the world's leading

pommel horse The pommel horse is an artistic gymnastics apparatus. Traditionally, it is used by only male gymnasts. Originally made of a metal frame with a wooden body and a leather cover, the modern pommel horse has a metal body covered with foam rubber and ...

gymnast Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, sh ...

in the 1970s. In this event he won two Olympic, three world, three European and two World Cup titles. Magyar had two moves named after him, the Magyar spindle (turning the body in the opposite direction from the circling legs) and the Magyar travel (crosswise circling travel down the horse). He won the Olympic gold in 1976 and 1980, world championships gold in 1974, 1978 and 1979, European championships gold in 1973, 1975 and 1977; and World Cup gold in 1975 and 1978. His largest margin of victory came at the 1978 World Championships, which he won by 0.375 points. For his achievements he was named Hungarian Sportsman of the year in 1974, 1978 and 1980. In major all-around competitions, Magyar was ubiquitous but less successful. In Olympic all-around finals, he placed 29th in 1972, ninth in 1976 and ninth in 1980. In world championship all-arounds, he was 15th in 1974, 12th in 1978 and 18th in 1979. Magyar retired after the 1980 Olympics. Since his departure, he has focused on his lifelong goal as a veterinarian. He currently operates a vet hospital and still resides in Budapest. In May 2012, Magyar was inducted to the

International Gymnastics Hall of Fame The International Gymnastics Hall of Fame, located in Oklahoma City, USA, is a hall of fame dedicated to honoring the achievements and contributions of the world's greatest competitors, coaches and authorities in artistic gymnastics. The early IGHO ...

References

External links

Olympic.org: Zoltan MagyarHungarian Olympic Committee
{{DEFAULTSORT:Magyar, Zoltan 1953 births Living people Hungarian male artistic gymnasts Gymnasts at the 1972 Summer Olympics Gymnasts at the 1976 Summer Olympics Gymnasts at the 1980 Summer Olympics World champion gymnasts Medalists at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships European champions in gymnastics Olympic gold medalists for Hungary Olympic medalists in gymnastics Medalists at the 1980 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1976 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists for Hungary Gymnasts from Budapest