Károly Takács
{{Short description|Hungarian sport shooter}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Western name order|Takács Károly}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Károly Takács
| image = Karoly Takacs at Melbourne.jpg
| caption = Takács at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne
| nationality = Hungarian
| birth_date = {{birth date|1910|1|21|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Budapest, Kingdom of Hungary
| death_date = {{death date and age|1976|1|5|1910|1|21|df=yes}}
| death_place = Budapest, Hungary
| sport = Sports shooting
| medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Men's shooting}}
{{MedalCountry | {{HUN}} }}
{{MedalOlympic}}
{{MedalGold | 1948 London | 25 m rapid fire pistol}}
{{MedalGold | 1952 Helsinki | 25 m rapid fire pistol}}
| show-medals = yes
}}
Károly Takács (21 January 1910 – 5 January 1976){{cite web|title=Karoly Takacs - The official website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games|publisher=The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad|url=http://en.beijing2008.cn/spirit/pastgames/halloffame/t/n214046769.shtml|year=2008}}{{cite web|title=Heros in shooting|publisher=International Shooting Sport Federation|url=http://www.issf-shooting.org/championships/olympic_games.asp#heros|year=2008|access-date=3 May 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070921012144/http://www.issf-shooting.org/championships/olympic_games.asp#heros|archive-date=21 September 2007|url-status=dead}}[http://www.olympic.org/en/content/Olympic-Athletes/All-Athletes/Athletes-TA-to-TM/-Karoly-TAKACS-/ Profile] from olympic.org was the first shooter to win two Olympic gold medals in the 25 metre rapid fire pistol event, both with his left hand after his right hand was seriously injured. He is the third known physically disabled athlete to have competed in the Olympic Games after George Eyser in 1904 and Olivér Halassy in 1928, followed by Liz Hartel in 1952, Neroli Fairhall in 1984 and Oscar Pistorius in 2012.
Military service and early shooting career
Takács was born in Budapest and joined the Hungarian Army. By 1936, he was a world-class pistol shooter, but he was denied a place in the Hungarian shooting team for the 1936 Summer Olympics on the grounds that he was a sergeant, and only commissioned officers were allowed to compete. This prohibition was lifted in Hungary after the Berlin Games, and Takács had expectations of success at the 1940 Summer Olympics, scheduled to be held in Tokyo.
During army training in 1938, his right hand was badly injured when a faulty grenade exploded. Takács was determined to continue his shooting career, and switched to shooting with his left hand. He practiced in secret, surprising his countrymen when he won the Hungarian national pistol shooting championship in the spring of 1939. He also was a member of the Hungarian team that won the 1939 UIT World Shooting Championships in the event.{{Cite web |title=Karoly Biography |url=https://olympics.com/en/athletes/karoly-takacs |website=Olympic.com}}
Olympic successes, flourishing career
The Olympic Games scheduled for 1940 and 1944 were canceled due to the Second World War. However, Takács surprised the world by winning the gold medal at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London,{{cite web |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ta/karoly-takacs-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417235905/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ta/karoly-takacs-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 April 2020 |title=Károly Takács |access-date=4 February 2015 |work=Sports Reference}} aged 38, beating the favourite, Argentine Carlos Enrique Díaz Sáenz Valiente, the reigning world champion.
Takács won a second gold medal in the same event at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki
Later career
Takács also attended the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, but finished eighth and failed to win a third medal.[http://www.mob.hu/engine.aspx?page=MOB_bajnokaink_olimpiai&spid=26128 Profile] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111001014208/http://www.mob.hu/engine.aspx?page=MOB_bajnokaink_olimpiai&spid=26128 |date=1 October 2011 }} from Magyar Olimpiai Bizottság (in Hungarian)
Although most associated with the rapid fire pistol, Takács also won a bronze medal at the 1958 ISSF World Shooting Championships in 25 metre center-fire pistol. He also won 35 Hungarian national shooting championships.
After shooting career
After his shooting career, Takács became a coach. He trained Hungarian Szilárd Kun, who won the silver medal at the 1952 Summer Olympics. He ended his army career as a lieutenant colonel.
Legacy
His story has given him a place among the "Olympic heroes" of the International Olympic Committee. Two Olympic gold medals were won by Józef Zapędzki (Mexico 1968 and Munich 1972) as well but not until Ralf Schumann's third victory in the 2004 Olympics did a shooter succeed in winning three gold medals in this event.
File:Takács Károly preparing pistol for shooting on Poland-Hungary-Yugoslavia 1961.jpg|Takács preparing for shooting in Poland-Hungary-Yugoslavia competition in Bydgoszcz, Poland in 1961
File:Takács Károly shooting on Poland-Hungary-Yugoslavia match 1961.jpg|Takács shooting in Poland-Hungary-Yugoslavia competition in Bydgoszcz in 1961
File:Tak%C3%A1cs_K%C3%A1roly_s%C3%ADrja.jpg|Takács's gravestone in Budapest
References
{{reflist}}
{{Olympic Champions Shooting RFP}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Takacs, Karoly}}
Category:Hungarian male sport shooters
Category:Medalists at the 1948 Summer Olympics
Category:Medalists at the 1952 Summer Olympics
Category:Olympic gold medalists for Hungary
Category:Olympic medalists in shooting
Category:Olympic shooters for Hungary
Category:Shooters at the 1948 Summer Olympics
Category:Shooters at the 1952 Summer Olympics
Category:Shooters at the 1956 Summer Olympics
Category:Hungarian military personnel