After her brief wartime marriage to Istvan Sarkany, Agnes Keleti ended in divorce and found lasting love and companionship with Robert Biro.
She was the most successful gymnast in Olympic history, winning a total of 10 medals, including five golds.
For her lifetime achievements, she was awarded the Israel Prize for Sports, which has changed the face of gymnastics.
Highlights
- Agnes Keleti was an accomplished gymnast who won the Herzl sports Prize in 1982.
- She was first married to fellow gymnast Istvan Sarkany and separated in 1950.
- Keleti was married to Robert Biro, and the two had two sons: Daniel and Rafael.
Keleti survived World War II, then represented Hungary in the Olympics, emigrated to Israel in 1957, and then worked as a coach in the same sport in the country.
She received many honors for her contributions to sports, including being inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1981.
Also, Keleti received the Herzl Prize in sports in 1982 and became one of Hungary’s “Athletes of the Nation” in 2004 and 2005, an asteroid, “265594 Keletiagnes”, was named after her.
Agnes Keleti’s First Marriage With Istavan Sarkeany Was a Marriage of Survival
During the Second World War horrors, Agnes Keleti made a life-altering decision due to compulsion and not out of love for him.
In 1944, with Nazis entering Hungary, she hastily married fellow gymnast Istvan Sarkany in hopes that marriage would spare her from being shipped to a labor camp.
The world’s oldest Olympic gold medalist passed away this morning in Budapest.
The 103-year-old Holocaust survivor and five-time Olympic gold medalist in Gymnastics Ágnes Keleti was saved during WW2 by the Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg.
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) January 2, 2025
There was a rumor that married women would not be sent to labor camps, so with her life handing in the balance, Keleti did the desperate last of marrying Sarkany.
As an athlete, her ex-husband was a gymnast of renown, competing with the Hungarian team at the highest international level, including the 1936 Olympics.
Later, Mr. Sarkany became a highly respected coach and judge, playing a key role in shaping the future of Hungarian gymnastics.
However, their marriage did not last long, and they divorced by 1950.
Keleti would go on to achieve Olympic glory, while Sarkany continued to contribute to gymnastics as a coach and mentor.
Their brief union was a testament to the extreme measures taken during wartime for survival, shaping the gymnast’s legendary life.
Agnes Keleti, The Legend Found Her Love After Her Second Marriage To Robert Biro
A survivor of Nazi and Soviet autocracies alike, Agnes Keleti, finally gave in after living a long life; she was 103.
With pneumonia that led to her week-long hospital stay, she died on Thursday in Budapest.
Ágnes Keleti, a Holocaust survivor, passed away at the age of 103.
She won ten Olympic medals as a Hungarian, including five golds, and then moved to Israel.
Her extraordinary life was an inspiration, winning her the Israel Prize in 2017.
May her memory be a blessing. pic.twitter.com/g79uHZlbIp— Gideon Sa’ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) January 3, 2025
Her demise was confirmed by her press officer Tamas Roth and her son, Rafael Biro Keleti, expressed his hope for her recovery at the time saying:
We pray for her, she has a great vitality.
The athlete’s journey through life was marked by extraordinary resilience, not only in sports but also in her personal life.
In 1959, she married Robert Biro, a Hungarian physical education teacher whom she met in Israel.
The world‘s oldest Olympic champion remained with Biro until his sad d*ath in 2006 following a heart attack.
In such difficult times, Keleti was always bound to family and gymnastics, and her strength of character has inspired generations.
She is survived by her two sons, Daniel and Rafael, who now carry forward the legacy of one of history’s greatest Olympic champions.
Additional Information
- Agnes Keleti’s net worth is estimated to be around $1 million as of 2025.
- She was raised in Budapest, Hungary, by her parents, Franz (Ferenc) and Rosa (Rosza) Klein.
- Ágnes Keleti grew up with her sister Vera, who also survived World War II.
