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Tokyo 2020 – Hungary’s Greatest Olympic Success Since 1996

Tamás Vaski 2021.08.09.

Hungary finished 15th in the world at this year’s 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, following behind Italy, Canada, Brazil, New Zealand, and Cuba. Bringing home six gold, seven silver, and seven bronze medals, this was Hungary’s most successful Olympics in the last 25 years regarding the number of medals.

The United States was the winner of this year’s Olympic games with 113 total medals, followed by China (88 medals) and Japan (58 medals). Despite having a much smaller population than the top finishers, Hungary maintained its status as an underdog performing well above expectations.

First Week in Tokyo: Hungarian Athletes Collect 2 Gold, 1 Silver, and 2 Bronze Medals
First Week in Tokyo: Hungarian Athletes Collect 2 Gold, 1 Silver, and 2 Bronze Medals

At the moment, Hungary stands in 13th place at the medal table.Continue reading

In fact, the last time Hungary won this many medals was at the Atlanta Olympics of 1996, where 21 podium finishes were recorded. When scores are taken into consideration, however, one needs to look all the way back to Barcelona in 1992.

Hungary finished with a total of 156 points in Tokyo, 151 points in Atlanta, and a startling 211 points at the Barcelona Olympics.

This year canoe-kayaking events were our most successful with 50 points, followed by swimming at 36 points and fencing at 19 points. These events have always been the ones where Hungarians won the most medals, but Hungary is also the leading nation in both modern pentathlon (23 medals) and water polo (17 medals).

2nd Week in Tokyo: Team Hungary Collects 12 Olympic Medals
2nd Week in Tokyo: Team Hungary Collects 12 Olympic Medals

Due to the exceptional performance of the Hungarian athletes, Hungary stands in 14th place at the medal table.Continue reading

Despite winning more gold at the Rio Olympics of 2016, Hungary had podium finishes in eight sporting events this year, twice as many as four years ago. This diversified skillset of events could be a very good sign for future Olympics.

With regards to our medal breakdown, the winners are as follows:

Gold

  • Kristóf Milák (200-meter butterfly – Olympic record)
  • Áron Szilágyi (sabre fencing – third consecutive gold)
  • Tamás Lőrincz (Greco-Roman wrestling 77kg)
  • Bálint Kopasz (men’s kayak single 1000 meters)
  • Sándor Tótka (men’s kayak single 200 meters)
  • Dóra Bodonyi, Tamara Csipes, Anna Kárász, and Danuta Kozák (women’s kayak four 500 meters)

Silver

  • Kristóf Milák (100-meter butterfly)
  • Gergely Siklósi (Épée fencing)
  • Viktor Lőrincz (Greco-Roman wrestling 87kg)
  • Ádám Varga (men’s kayak single 1000 meters)
  • Zsombor Berecz (sailing Finn)
  • Kristóf Rasovszky (10 km marathon swimming)
  • Tamara Csipes (women’s kayak single 500 meters)

Bronze

  • Men’s fencing team
  • Krisztián Tóth (Judo 90kg)
  • Sarolta Kovács (modern pentathlon individual)
  • Gábor Hárspataki (karate 75kg)
  • Danuta Kozák and Dóra Bodonyi (women’s kayak double 500 meters)
  • Women’s water polo team
  • Men’s water polo team
The Hungarian Tricolor at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics - a Photo Gallery
The Hungarian Tricolor at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics - a Photo Gallery

With all the accomplishments this year, it is a good idea to look back and watch the rewards of the countless hours of training our athletes put themselves through.Continue reading

The next opportunity for Hungarian athletes to prove themselves at such a high level will be in three years, at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.

In the featured photo: the women’s kayak four. Photo by Tamás Kovács/MTI


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