Ede Király (23 February 1926 – 10 August 2009) was a Hungarian

figure skater Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, with its introduction occurring at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic d ...

who competed both in men's singles and pairs. As a competitor in men's singles, he was a three-time

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medalist (silver in 1949 and 1950, bronze in 1948), the 1950 European champion, and a six-time Hungarian national champion. Competing in

pairs Concentration is a round game in which all of the cards are laid face down on a surface and two cards are flipped face up over each turn. The object of the game is to turn over pairs of matching cards. Concentration can be played with any number ...

with Andrea Kékesy, he became the 1948 Olympic silver medalist, the 1949 World champion, and a two-time

European European, or Europeans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other West ...

champion (1948–1949). In 1950, he defected from Hungary and worked as a coach and engineer in Canada.

Competitive career

Király's international career lasted only three years. It included two years where he had the unusual accomplishment of winning World medals in both men's singles and pairs. He was coached by

Arnold Gerschwiler Arnold Gerschwiler OBE (28 May 1914 – 22 August 2003) was a Swiss (later, British) figure skating coach. Personal life Gerschwiler was born in Arbon, Switzerland. He was the half-brother of Jacques Gerschwiler and the uncle of Hans Gersch ...

. In 1948, he placed fourth 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 ...

in singles skating and won gold with Kékesy in pairs. In February, at the

1948 Winter Olympics The 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games (; ; ; ) and commonly known as St. Moritz 1948 (; ), were a winter multi-sport event held from 30 January to 8 February 1948 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The Games were the ...

, he placed fifth in singles and won silver in pairs. The week after, at the 1948 World Championships, he and Kékesy won silver again, and he won bronze individually. The next year, he and Kékesy won a second European title, and he placed second in the men's singles event. At the 1949 World Championships, he won an individual silver, and he and Kékesy became World champions. Király's last year competing was 1950, where he only skated in men's singles and became the 1950 European champion. At the

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 ...

, he won a second silver medal. After the close of the championships, Király was friendly with the Hungarian ambassador, who held a reception for the competitors, but then went to the London

Home Office The Home Office (HO), also known (especially in official papers and when referred to in Parliament) as the Home Department, is the United Kingdom's interior ministry. It is responsible for public safety and policing, border security, immigr ...

and defected from communist Hungary. Király said that he feared returning to Hungary, as he refused to join the

Hungarian Communist Party The Hungarian Communist Party (, , abbr. MKP), known earlier as the Party of Communists in Hungary (, , abbr. KMP), was a communist party in Hungary that existed during the interwar period and briefly after World War II. It was founded on Novem ...

, and that his passport and other papers were being held by a Hungarian intelligence officer. His family in Hungary, as well as another coach of his, Rudolf Dillinger, were arrested in response. Hungarian figure skaters were also not allowed to compete in the 1951 European and

Post-skating career

In 1950, Király graduated from the

Technical University of Budapest The Budapest University of Technology and Economics ( or in short ), official abbreviation BME, is a public research university located in Budapest, Hungary. It is the most significant university of technology in the country and is considered t ...

. After defecting from Hungary, he moved to Canada and became a coach in

Oshawa, Ontario Oshawa is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It lies in Southern Ontario, approximately east of downtown Toronto. It is commonly viewed as the eastern anchor of the Greater Toronto Area and of the Golden Horseshoe. It ...

; he also worked as an engineer. His students included Donald Jackson. He returned to Hungary several times later in his life.

Results

Men's singles

Pairs with Kékesy

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kiraly, Ede 1926 births 2009 deaths Hungarian male single skaters Hungarian male pair skaters Olympic figure skaters for Hungary Olympic silver medalists for Hungary Figure skaters at the 1948 Winter Olympics Olympic medalists in figure skating World Figure Skating Championships medalists European Figure Skating Championships medalists Medalists at the 1948 Winter Olympics Figure skaters from Budapest 20th-century Hungarian sportsmen