Tribute: Ferenc Benedek (1926-2020)

One of Hungarian Pentathlon’s most revered figures, Ferenc Benedek, died on March 19 aged 94.

Benedek took up Modern Pentathlon in 1946 and seven years later became a coach in the Csepeli MTK and Csepel SC clubs. He coached a generation of Hungarian athletes to success on the world stage, starting at the Melbourne 1956 Olympic Games.

In Rome four years later, Benedek’s team launched an extraordinary run of Olympic success that continued throughout the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

UIPM President Dr Klaus Schormann paid tribute to him by saying: “Ferenc was a much-loved member of our global community who will be missed dearly by everybody who had the good fortune to know him.

“As a trainer and team leader, he was the man who nurtured Andras Balczó and many more great Hungarian athletes.

“Later in life, he played an important role as a researcher and collector of items important to our sporting heritage, writing historical books and arranging many exhibitions at national and international competitions.”