This is Hungary's third gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. In the women’s 500m sprint kayak double, Bodonyi and Kozák won bronze.Continue reading
In the final Olympic bout of his career, Tamás Lőrincz was able to win gold at Tokyo’s Greco-Roman wrestling 77kg finals. Wrestling is one of Hungary’s most successful sports, with 54 medals won, but this is the first gold since István Majoros’ victory in 2004. Lőrincz’s brother, Viktor Lőrincz, is set to compete tomorrow in the finals of the 87kg weight class.
Tamás Lőrincz has given his heart and soul into what is perhaps the perfect culmination of one’s sporting career; winning gold at the Olympics. An epic battle against Kyrgyzstan’s Akzhol Makhmudov ended up with Lőrincz winning 2:1, making him an Olympic champion for the first time in his life.
The 34-year-old wrestler from Cegléd faced a difficult opponent, who took the advantage and gained a point near the beginning of the match. Makhmudov showed determination and put up an excellent fight, but Lőrincz was eventually able to secure a one-point lead (2:1).
In the final seconds of the bout, Makhmudov tried everything he could to find an opening to score, but Lőrincz’s years of experience were brought on display through his steadfast defense. The Hungarian protected his lead until he was declared victorious. As soon as the bout ended, he was met by his team, beginning celebrations immediately.
Tamás Lőrincz raises the Hungarian flag after defeating Kyrgyzstan’s Akzhol Makhmudov in the 77kg weightclass of Greco-Roman wrestling. Photo by Tibor Illyés/MTI
Lőrincz sacrificed a lot to win in Tokyo. In his post-match interviews, he has consistently brought up the difficulty of being away from his family to invest the necessary amount of time into his training. Of course, as soon as the match ended, he went to greet his wife and two kids on the Athlete Moment webcams.
On Wednesday Lőrincz will no doubt be cheering on his brother Viktor Lőrincz, who will be competing in the finals of the 87kg weight class.
After defeating Kyrgyzstan’s Atabek Azizbekov, Viktor Lőrincz made it into the quarter finals, where he was able to defeat Germany’s Denis Kudla. In the semi-finals he overcame Egypt’s Mohamed Metvally with a stunning score of 9:2. Now with one more bout in front of him, Viktor Lőrincz, like his brother, is on the doorstep of Olympic champions.
Featured photo by Tibor Illyés/MTI
