Rita Kőbán (born 10 April 1965) is a Hungarian

canoe sprint Canoe sprint is a water sport in which athletes race in specially designed sprint canoes or sprint kayaks on calm water over a short distance. Prior to November 2008, canoe sprint was known as flatwater racing. The term is still in use today ...

er. She competed at the 1988, 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympics and won six medals, with two golds (

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

: K-4 500 m,

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

: K-1 500 m), three silvers (

1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...

: K-4 500 m, 1992: K-1 500 m,

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

: K-4 500 m), and one bronze (1992: K-2 500 m). Kőbán has also been successful in 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 ...

collecting 26 medals. This includes nine golds (K-1 200 m:

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

; K-1 500 m: 1995, K-2 200 m: 1994, K-4 200 m: 1994,

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 ...

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 ...

; K-4 500 m:

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

, 1999), ten silvers (K-1 500 m:

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

, 1994; K-1 5000 m:

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

, K-2 200 m: 1998, K-2 500 m:

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

, K-4 500 m:

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

, 1991, 1994), and seven bronzes (K-1 200 m: 1999, K-1 500 m: 1999, K-2 200 m: 1999, K-2 500 m: 1998, K-4 500 m: 1985, 1993, 1995). She was elected Hungarian Sportswoman of the Year in 1994 and 1995, ending the string of six consecutive titles by

Krisztina Egerszegi Krisztina Egerszegi (; born 16 August 1974) is a Hungarian former world record holding swimmer and one of the greatest Hungarian Olympic champions of the modern era. She is a three-time Olympian (1988, 1992 and 1996) and five-time Olympic cham ...

. After retiring from competitions, she briefly worked as a TV presenter. Kőbán has been a

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...

since 1991."A Hónap Vegetáriánusa: Kőbán Rita"
bhaktikutir.hu. Retrieved 22 January 2023.

Awards

* Masterly youth athlete: 1982, 1983 * Hungarian kayaker of the Year (7): 1984, 1987, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996 * HUN Order of Labor 2kl BAR

Work Order of Merit of Hungarian People's Republic – Silver Cross (1988) * Csepel SC – Athlete of Year (1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996) * Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary – Officer's Cross (1992) * Member of the Hungarian team of year (with

Erika Mészáros Erika Mészáros (born 24 June 1966 in Budapest) is a Hungarian sprint canoer who competed from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. Competing in three Summer Olympics, she won two medals in the K-4 500 m event with a gold in 1992 and a silver in ...

Éva Dónusz Éva Dónusz (born September 29, 1967) is a Hungary, Hungarian canoe racing, sprint canoer who competed from the late 1980s to the late 1990s. Competing in two Summer Olympics, she won two medals at Barcelona in 1992 Summer Oly ...

Kinga Czigány Kinga Czigány (born 17 February 1972) is a Hungary, Hungarian canoe racing, sprint canoer who competed in the 1990s. Competing in two Summer Olympics, she won a gold medal in the K-4 500 m event at Barcelona in 1992 Summer Olympics, 1 ...

): 1992 * 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 ...

(1994) * Hungarian Sportwoman of the Year (2) – votes of sports journalists: 1994, 1995 * MOB Golden ring (1995) * Honorary Citizen of

Csepel Csepel (), officially known as the 21st District of Budapest ( Hungarian: ''Budapest XXI. kerülete'') is a district and a neighbourhood in Budapest, Hungary. Csepel officially became part of Budapest on 1 January 1950. Name The village and ...

(1996) * Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary – Commander's Cross (1996) *

Hungarian Heritage Award The Hungarian Heritage Award () is a distinction awarded to Hungarian institutions or persons who have contributed to activities of Hungarian culture, economy, sports or science, to ensure the spiritual uplift of Hungarian society. The award was ...

(1999) * Príma Primissima award (2016)

References

* *

External links

* * 1965 births Canoeists at the 1988 Summer Olympics Canoeists at the 1992 Summer Olympics Canoeists at the 1996 Summer Olympics Canoeists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Hungarian female canoeists Living people Olympic canoeists for Hungary Olympic gold medalists for Hungary Olympic silver medalists for Hungary Olympic bronze medalists for Hungary Olympic medalists in canoeing ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships medalists in kayak Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics Canoeists from Budapest 20th-century Hungarian sportswomen {{Hungary-Olympic-medalist-stub