Balázs Kiss (; born 21 March 1972) is a retired Hungarian

hammer throw The hammer throw (HT for short) is one of the four throwing events in regular outdoor track-and-field competitions, along with the discus throw, shot put and Javelin throw, javelin. The hammer used in this sport is not like any of the tools a ...

er. He is the 1996 Olympic champion and the 1998 European Championships silver medalist, and has two fourth places from

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

. His personal best throw was 83.00 metres, achieved during the 1998 Golden League circuit.

Early career

Kiss was born in

Veszprém Veszprém (; , , , ) is one of the oldest urban areas in Hungary, and a city with county rights. It lies approximately north of the Lake Balaton. It is the administrative center of the county of the same name. Etymology The city's name derives ...

.. http://www.gbrathletics.com/ic/ejm.htm. Retrieved on 13 February 2009. As a junior athlete he won the bronze medal at the 1991 European Junior Championships, with a throw of 68.40 metres. The same year he had thrown 70.66 metres. Kiss then enrolled as a student in the United States. He won the 1993

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships with a throw of 75.24 metres, and later won three more titles in a row. In 1995 and 1996 he set new championship records with 79.62 metres and 80.86 metres respectively. He represented the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

(USC) in the

U.S. The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

where in 1994 he became the first USC athlete in 26 years to win consecutive titles at the NCAA Track and Field Championships.

International career

Kiss finished twelfth at the 1994 European Championships. In 1995 he broke the 80-metre barrier for the first time, his season's best being 82.56 metres, achieved in Veszprém in August. He participated at the 1995 World Championships, and finished fourth. Kiss was almost two metres short of the bronze medal, which was won by compatriot

Tibor Gécsek Tibor Gécsek (born 22 September 1964 in Szentgotthárd) is a retired male hammer thrower from Hungary. Gécsek is of Hungarian Slovenes, Hungarian Slovenian descent. He won two consecutive World Championships bronze medals in 1993 and 1995. La ...

. However, Kiss won the gold medal at the

1995 Summer Universiade The 1995 Summer Universiade, also known as the XVIII Summer Universiade, took place in Fukuoka, Japan. Emblem The symbol mark is a motif of "U", expressing passion and energy in the flickering flames of a burning torch. In the flames one sees bo ...

. In 1996 Kiss won the Olympic gold medal with a throw of 81.24 metres. He also finished fourth at the Grand Prix Final. His season's best throw was 81.76 metres, achieved in July in

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

, but finished fourth for the second time. He did defend his Universiade gold medal, though, winning the

1997 Summer Universiade The 1997 Summer Universiade, also known as the XIX Summer Universiade, took place in the island of Sicily, Italy. The United States topped the medal table. Venues Catania * Stadio Angelo Massimino — closing ceremonies and athletics * Teatro ...

. Like in 1995, he finished ahead of a Ukrainian and a Russian. His 82.90 metre throw from Veszprém in July was a new personal best. In June 1998 Kiss threw the hammer 83.00 metres in the

Meeting Gaz de France Meeting de Paris (formerly known as the Meeting Areva and Meeting Gaz de France) is an annual track and field meeting at the Stade Sébastien Charléty in Paris, France. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now part of the Diamo ...

Golden League meet. This would be his lifetime best performance. He later won silver medals both at the

European Championships A European Championship is the top level international sports competition between European athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. In the plural, the European Championships also refers t ...

, again behind Tibor Gécsek, and the Grand Prix Final. Participations at the World Championships in 1999 and 2001 followed. In

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

he failed to reach the final, whereas in

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

he finished sixth. In 2002 he finished fourth at the

and third at the Grand Prix Final. His best throw between 1999 and 2002 was 81.36 metres, achieved in July 2001 in

Cottbus Cottbus () or (;) is a university city and the second-largest city in the German state of Brandenburg after the state capital, Potsdam. With around 100,000 inhabitants, Cottbus is the most populous city in Lusatia. Cottbus lies in the Sorbian ...

. Kiss became the Hungarian champion in 1995, 1998 and 2000, rivalling with Tibor Gécsek, Adrián Annus and Zsolt Németh. He announced his retirement in July 2004. He stands tall, and during his active career he weighed . Kiss was inducted into the

USTFCCCA The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) is a New Orleans–based non-profit professional association representing men's and women's cross country and track & field coaches in the United States. The organization incl ...

Collegiate Athlete Hall of Fame in 2024.

Awards

* Hungarian athlete of the Year (3): 1995, 1996, 1997 * Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary – Officer's Cross (1996)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kiss, Balazs 1972 births Living people Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics Hungarian expatriates in the United States Hungarian male hammer throwers Olympic athletes for Hungary Olympic gold medalists for Hungary Sportspeople from Veszprém Athletes from Veszprém County University of Southern California alumni USC Trojans men's track and field athletes European Athletics Championships medalists Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field) Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field) Goodwill Games medalists in athletics FISU World University Games gold medalists for Hungary FISU World University Games silver medalists for Hungary Medalists at the 1993 Summer Universiade Medalists at the 1995 Summer Universiade Medalists at the 1997 Summer Universiade Competitors at the 2001 Goodwill Games Hungarian Athletics Championships winners United States collegiate record holders in athletics (track and field) NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners