Peter Bakonyi (10 July 1933 – 26 August 1997) was a Hungarian-born Canadian Olympic

foil Foil may refer to: Materials * Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine * Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal * Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food * Tin foil, metal foil ma ...

and

épée The (, ; ), also rendered as epee in English, is the largest and heaviest of the three weapons used in the sport of fencing. The modern derives from the 19th-century , a weapon which itself derives from the French small sword. This contains a ...

fencer. He competed at the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Mexico 1968 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 October 1968, in Mexico City, Mexico. These were the first Ol ...

in Mexico City. He was also a six-time Canadian national fencing champion, 18-time

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

fencing champion, three-time medalist at the

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 ...

, four-time silver medalist at the

Maccabiah Games The Maccabiah Games (, or משחקי המכביה העולמית; sometimes referred to as the "Jewish Olympics") is an international multi-sport event with summer and winter sports competitions featuring Jews and Israelis regardless of religion ...

in Israel.

Early life

Bakonyi was born in

Budapest, Hungary Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

, and was Jewish. He met his wife Vera at a function in high school. He attended law school and fenced at

Budapesti EAC Budapesti Egyetemi Atlétikai Club (English: Budapest University Athletic Club) is a Hungarian football club from the city of Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of ...

in Budapest, graduating with a law degree in 1956 at the

Faculty of Law A faculty is a division within a university or college comprising one subject area or a group of related subject areas, possibly also delimited by level (e.g. undergraduate). In North America, academic divisions are sometimes titled colleges, sc ...

Eötvös Loránd University Eötvös Loránd University (, ELTE, also known as ''University of Budapest'') is a Hungarian public research university based in Budapest. Founded in 1635, ELTE is one of the largest and most prestigious public higher education institutions in ...

and trained for the

modern pentathlon The modern pentathlon is an Summer Olympics, Olympic multisport that consists of five events: fencing (one-touch épée followed by direct elimination), freestyle swimming, obstacle course racing, Laser pistol (sport), laser pistol shooting, and ...

(épée fencing, swimming, horseback riding, shooting, and cross country running). In 1957 he and Vera immigrated to Canada from Hungary. They married in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

, Canada, in 1959. Bakonyi switched his career to real estate, and began to train solely in fencing. As of 1968, he worked as a finance manager in the real estate division of Canada Permanent Trust Company. He and his family lived in Vancouver. His sons Ron Bakonyi and David Bakonyi fenced for Canada, in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Ron won silver medals in the

1981 Maccabiah Games The 11th Maccabiah Games brought 3,450 athletes to Israel from 35 nations. The Opening Ceremony was held on July 7, 1981, before a crowd of 53,000 and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin in Ramat Gan Stadium, with 3,500 Jewish athletes paradin ...

and the 1985 Maccabiah Games, competed at the 1993 Maccabiah Games, and competed in the 1989 World Fencing Championships. David was a member of the Canadian National Fencing Team from 1993 to 1995, and fenced in three Fencing World Championships, and won a gold medal in team epee at the 1989 Maccabiah Games and a silver medal at the

1997 Maccabiah Games The 15th Maccabiah Games are primarily remembered for being marred by a Maccabiah bridge collapse, bridge collapse that killed several participants. The Maccabiah had more than 5,000 athletes from 33 countries competing in 36 sports. New sports fo ...

in Israel."1997 Maccabiah Games Team Canada Delegation"
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Fencing career

Bakonyi was a six-time Canadian national fencing champion, and an 18-time

fencing champion. Bakonyi earned a

bronze medal A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receives ...

for Canada in team

at the

1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games The 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Perth, Western Australia, from 22 November to 1 December 1962. Athletic events were held at Perry Lakes Stadium in the suburb of Floreat and swimming events at Beatty Park in North ...

(now known as the

) in Australia, a

silver medal A silver medal, in sports and other similar areas involving competition, is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, ...

in team épée at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Jamaica, and a bronze medal in team épée at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games in Scotland. He also fenced for Canada at the

1963 Pan American Games The 1963 Pan American Games, officially known as the IV Pan American Games () and commonly known as São Paulo 1963, were held from April 20 to May 5, 1963, in São Paulo, Brazil. Host city selection For the first time, two cities submitted b ...

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

, Brazil, and the

1967 Pan American Games The 1967 Pan American Games, officially known as the V Pan American Games () and commonly known as Winnipeg 1967, were held in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, from July 23 to August 6, 1967. Winnipeg was chosen as host of the Pan American Games on ...

in Winnipeg, Canada. He competed at 35 years of age at the

in Mexico City for Canada in the individual foil, team foil (coming in 11th), individual épée (coming in 17th), and team épée (coming in 11th) events. Bakonyi won silver medals at the

1961 Maccabiah Games The 6th Maccabiah Games were held in Tel Aviv, Israel in 1961, with 1,100 athletes from 27 countries competing in 18 sports. The Games were officially opened in an Opening Ceremony on August 29, 1961, in Ramat Gan Stadium by Israeli president Yi ...

, 1965 Maccabiah Games,

1969 Maccabiah Games At the 8th Maccabiah Games from July 29 to August 7, 1969, 1,450 athletes from 27 countries competed in 22 sports in Israel. The final gold medal count was the United States in first place (64), Israel second (48; though it won the greatest numb ...

, and at 64 years of age at the

in Israel, and competed in the 1973 Maccabiah Games. Bakonyi died suddenly of a stroke in 1997, at 64 years of age. The annual Peter Bakonyi Men’s Épée World Cup (formerly, Challenge Peter Bakonyi) in

Richmond, British Columbia Richmond is a city in the coastal Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Mainly a suburban city, it occupies almost the entirety of Lulu Island (excluding Queensborough, New Westminster, Queensborough), between the two estuarine dis ...

, Canada is named in his honor. In 2020, Bas Verwijlen of the Netherlands won the gold medal.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bakonyi, Peter 1933 births 1997 deaths 20th-century Canadian sportsmen Canadian male épée fencers Canadian male foil fencers Commonwealth Games silver medallists in fencing Commonwealth Games bronze medallists in fencing Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Canada Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for Canada Competitors at the 1961 Maccabiah Games Competitors at the 1965 Maccabiah Games Competitors at the 1969 Maccabiah Games Competitors at the 1973 Maccabiah Games Competitors at the 1997 Maccabiah Games Eötvös Loránd University alumni Fencers at the 1968 Summer Olympics Fencers at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Fencers at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Fencers at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games Fencers at the 1963 Pan American Games Fencers at the 1967 Pan American Games Fencers from Budapest Hungarian emigrants to Canada Hungarian male épée fencers Hungarian male foil fencers Jewish Canadian sportspeople Jewish foil fencers Jewish épée fencers Maccabiah Games medalists in fencing Maccabiah Games silver medalists for Canada Olympic fencers for Canada Sportspeople from Vancouver Medallists at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Medallists at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Medallists at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games 20th-century Hungarian sportsmen

Early life

Fencing career

See also

References