Balczó András pentathlonist

Andras Balczo
the thriple olympic and tenfold world champion pentathlonist,
his achievements and mission

Results

He was born in Kondoros, Bekes county on 16 August 1938. At the age of 16 he got acquainted with sports as an athlete in Nyíregyháza. From 1957 he was a selected pentathlonist. When he was 20 years old, he appeared at the world championship in Aldershot. In 1960 he became a member of the team who won the first price at the Olympic Games in Rome, and among the singles he became the fourth. In 1968 at the Olympic Games in Mexico in a team he won the first price, and among the singles he got the second price. In 1972 at the Olympic Games in Munich his team won the second price, and as a single he got the first price. His mission and extraordinary talent helped him to win in 1960, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1967 and 1969, when he became world champion as a single. At the world championships he won 20 medals, out of which 10 were gold. The triple olympic and tenfold world champion pentathlonist was able to run in a way nobody else did.

Retirement



He retired in 1973. Unfortunately he did not get a support that would have been rightful. He became an basic equestrian at the National Horse Breeding Inspectorate. Ferenc Kosa made a film of his career intitled "Küldetes" ('Mission') in 1976. Sandor David wrote a book with the title "Balczo". He is a member of the advisory board of the International Transylvania Foundation. From 1983 he has been working as a freelance intellectual professional. In 1996 he received the Hungarian Heritage price. He has got the professional degree as a Fencer and pentathlonist trainer. With his wife, Monika Csaszar, who became a Olympic Champion in gymnastics in Munich, are bringing up their 12 children in love and peace in their home in Budakeszi, that Andras built himself. He first became a father when he was 38 years old.

Andras Balczo, confessing his Christian faith, holds lectures and talks about his experiences both in Hungary and abroad. Since the film Küldetes ("Mission") appeared, he met people in this way approximately 900 times within and over the frontier. He has always tried to pay attention on others so that they can understand exactly what he intends to say.