Ferenc Varga, Olympic bronze medalist, world champion kayaker, and the first Hungarian five-ring podium finisher in the sport, passed away at the age of 98.
The Hungarian Kayak-Canoe Association reported the sad news on Tuesday, which considers the former outstanding sportsman as its own dead.
Ferenc Varga, “Bá Feró” – as he was known within the sport – won a bronze medal in the K-2 10,000 meters at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics with József Gurovits. This was the first Hungarian medal of the sport in the history of the five-ring games. Ferenc Varga was also present at the legendary Macon World Championship for Hungarian kayak-canoe sport in 1954, where he was a member of the foursome that won a bronze medal in the K-4 10,000 meters. He won his last Hungarian championship in 1966, at the age of 41, but after that, he regularly competed in the master’s Hungarian championships until 2017.
In 2007, Ferenc Varga – who also worked in the international association and also coached for a while – received the most prestigious award in the sport, the Golden Medal of Merit. According to his last will, he will be bid his final farewell in a close family circle.
MTI
