Ákos Ajtony (21 July 1944 – 12 February 2017) was a Hungarian

equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or riding in British English) Examples of this are: *Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes in ...

, regarded as one of the most successful Hungarian show jumpers of the twentieth century. He competed in the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and officially branded as Munich 1972 (; ), were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. It was the ...

Early life and education

Ajtony was born in

Debrecen Debrecen ( ; ; ; ) is Hungary's cities of Hungary, second-largest city, after Budapest, the regional centre of the Northern Great Plain Regions of Hungary, region and the seat of Hajdú-Bihar County. A city with county rights, it was the large ...

in 1944. He started riding horses at an early age, and at the age of 16 he became a member of the youth national team.

Career

Ajtony placed seventh with his team at the 1960 European Youth Championships in

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

and went on to win the Hungarian show jumping championship nine times. In 1971, he finished eighth at the European Championships, followed by a 13th-place finish at the

1972 Munich Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and officially branded as Munich 1972 (; ), were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. It was the ...

. Beginning in 1977, he trained the Honvéd pentathlon athletes for eight years, coaching future Olympic gold medalists

János Martinek János Martinek (born 23 May 1965) is a Hungarian Modern pentathlon, modern pentathlete and Olympic champion. Olympics Martinek participated on the Hungarian team which won the gold medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, and where he also ...

, László Fábián, and

Attila Mizsér Attila Mizsér (born 28 April 1961) is a Hungarian Modern pentathlon, modern pentathlete and Olympic champion. Olympics Attila Mizsér participated on the Hungarian team which won a gold medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.

. Ajtony later served as a professional leader and national coach for Hungary’s pentathlon team at two Olympic Games. In recognition of his achievements, he was awarded the Count István Széchenyi Memorial Medal and the 1st degree of the Hungarian Sport Award.

Horses

References

1944 births 2017 deaths Equestrians at the 1972 Summer Olympics Hungarian male equestrians Olympic equestrians for Hungary Sportspeople from Debrecen 20th-century Hungarian sportsmen {{Hungary-equestrian-bio-stub