György Kolonics
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György "Kolo" Kolonics (4 June 1972 – 15 July 2008) was a Hungarian sprint canoeist who won two gold and two bronze medals at four
Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...
. He also won a record fifteen gold medals at the
ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships The ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships are an international event in canoe racing, one of two top-tier Summer Olympic sport events organized by the International Canoe Federation (the other being the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships). They ...
. He died from cardiac arrest while preparing for his fifth Olympics.


Sporting career

Kolonics started canoeing at the Budapesti Spartacus sport club, but soon moved to
Csepel SC Csepel SC () is a Hungary, Hungarian sports club based in Csepel, the XXI district of Budapest, which is on an island in the Danube in the south of the city. The club was formed in 1912 as ''Csepeli Torna Klub'' ("gymnastics club"). The Csepel ...
and remained at the club for his entire career. He first represented Hungary at the 1991 World Championships, and achieved a fifth and the sixth place in the C-4 events. At the
1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...
he achieved a fifth and the seventh place in the C-2 events with Attila Pálizs. After the 1992 Olympics he teamed up with Csaba Horváth, and the pair dominated the doubles for several years. They won their first gold together at the 1993 World Championships, and after winning a record of five gold medals at the 1995 World Championships they crowned their cooperation at the
1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
by winning the gold in C-2 500 m in a photo finish and a bronze medal in C-2 1000 m. They won a total of 11 World Championships gold medals together in C-2 and C-4 events, and between 1993 and
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
there were only two major international competitions where they did not win the C-2 500 m gold medal. After Horváth's retirement in 1998, Kolonics started to focus on the singles and at the
2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...
he won the C-1 500 m gold medal. Afterwards he returned to doubles again, teaming up with the younger György Kozmann. The pair won a bronze medal at the
2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...
in C-2 1000 m, and a gold medal at both the 2006 World Championships and the 2007 World Championships in C-2 500 m. They were also to represent Hungary in both C-2 500 m and C-2 1000 m at the
2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...
. This would have been the fifth Olympic Games for Kolonics, who was also being considered to carry the Hungarian flag at the opening ceremony (this honour later went to kayaker
Zoltán Kammerer Zoltán Kammerer (born 10 March 1978) is a Hungarian sprint canoeist who has competed since the mid-1990s. Competing in five Summer Olympics, he won three gold medals (K-2 500 m: 2000, K-4 1000 m: 2000, 2004) and a silver medal (K-4 1000 m: 20 ...
).


Death

Kolonics died on 15 July 2008 in Budapest of cardiac arrest. He lost consciousness during training and the attending paramedics could not revive him. The autopsy found a small amount of plaque in his
coronary arteries The coronary arteries are the arteries, arterial blood vessels of coronary circulation, which transport oxygenated blood to the Cardiac muscle, heart muscle. The heart requires a continuous supply of oxygen to function and survive, much like any ...
which might explain his death. Following his death, a press debate evolved between his long-time trainer Róbert Ludasi and the Hungarian National Ambulance Service (OMSz). Ludasi blamed the ambulance for arriving 37 minutes after being alerted and having no
defibrillator Defibrillation is a treatment for life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias, specifically ventricular fibrillation (V-Fib) and non-perfusing ventricular tachycardia (V-Tach). Defibrillation delivers a dose of electric current (often called a ''count ...
in the vehicle, while the OMSz claimed that paramedics came in 17 minutes and started to defibrillate Kolonics almost immediately. They also said that bandages were found on the canoeist's body (the existence of which was denied by the trainer) to reduce muscular fatigue, which is potentially dangerous for people having heart problems. Finally the Hungarian Canoe Federation (MKKSz) and the OMSz settled the matter with a joint statement on 21 July, with Ludasi rendering thanks to the paramedics for their "conscientious and high standard" attempts to revive Kolonics, and the MKKSz declaring that the bandages were pre-tested and their procurement authorized by the Hungarian Olympic Committee. After the death of Kolonics some (including world champion canoeist Attila Vajda) suggested that his spot should not be filled in the Hungarian Olympic team, thus Hungary should not start a unit in the C-2 events of the 2008 Olympics. Kozmann himself initially refused to take part in the Olympics, but eventually changed his mind after consulting with his coach, friends and Kolonics's friends. He competed in the C-2 1000 m with Tamás Kiss finishing in third place, while the C-2 500 m spot went to brothers
Mihály Mihály () is a Hungarian masculine given name. It is a cognate of the English Michael and may refer to: * Mihály András (1917–1993), Hungarian cellist, composer, and academic teacher * Mihály Apafi (1632–1690), Hungarian Prince of Transy ...
and Mátyás Sáfrán.Hungarian canoeist Kozmann agrees to compete in Olympics
xinhuanet.com (19 July 2008) Vajda wore a black armband in memory of Kolonics during the 2008 games.


Awards

* Hungarian canoer of the Year (10): 1993, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006 * Member of the Hungarian team of year (with Csaba Horváth): 1995, 1996 * Honorary Citizen of Csepel (1996) * Perpetual champion of
Csepel SC Csepel SC () is a Hungary, Hungarian sports club based in Csepel, the XXI district of Budapest, which is on an island in the Danube in the south of the city. The club was formed in 1912 as ''Csepeli Torna Klub'' ("gymnastics club"). The Csepel ...
(1997) * Best male Athlete of
Csepel SC Csepel SC () is a Hungary, Hungarian sports club based in Csepel, the XXI district of Budapest, which is on an island in the Danube in the south of the city. The club was formed in 1912 as ''Csepeli Torna Klub'' ("gymnastics club"). The Csepel ...
(1997) * Honorary Citizen of Budafok-Tétény (2000) * Perpetual champion of Hungarian Kayak-Canoe (2008) ;Orders and special awards *
Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary The Hungarian Order of Merit () is the fourth highest Order (honour), State Order of Hungary. Founded in 1991, the order is a revival of an original order founded in 1946 and abolished in 1949. Its origins, however, can be traced to the Order of ...
– Officer's Cross (1996) * Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary – Commander's Cross (2000)


References

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External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kolonics, Gyorgy 1972 births 2008 deaths Canoeists at the 1992 Summer Olympics Canoeists at the 1996 Summer Olympics Canoeists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Canoeists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Hungarian male canoeists Olympic canoeists for Hungary Olympic gold medalists for Hungary Olympic bronze medalists for Hungary Olympic medalists in canoeing ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships medalists in Canadian Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics Burials at Farkasréti Cemetery Canoeists from Budapest