László Hammerl, Olympic champion shooter and Sportsman of the Nation, died at the age of 82 after a long-term serious illness.

The Hungarian Sport Shooting Association (MSSZ) informed MTI on Friday morning about the death of the legendary athlete.

At the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, László Hammerl won the men's riflemen's 60-shot prone competition, and won the bronze medal in the 3×40-shot composite event. Four years later, in Mexico City, he won a silver medal in recumbent. He won a bronze medal at both the World and European Championships. At the 1974 World Cup in Bern, he came third in the standing team competition of the small sport rifle, and at the 1975 European Championships in Bucharest, he came third in the kneeling team competition of the small sport rifle. During his career, he collected 37 Hungarian championship titles.

The excellent sportsman participated in the 1972 Munich and 1976 Montreal Olympics, retired after the latter and briefly studied his profession, worked as an ear, nose and throat specialist, and then took over the position of national team captain at the beginning of 1977, which he held for a total of 26 years. . He was the leader of the two Hungarian sports shooting Olympic gold medals won since then (Károly Varga, kisöbű sport rifle, lying down, 1980; Diána Igaly, skeet, 2004).

The MSSZ emphasized that László Hammerl "was a highly knowledgeable professional recognized all over the world, he had an excellent understanding of the language of the competitors, and he has won numerous Olympic, world and European championship titles and medals" . The sportsman is considered by the association to be its own dead.

He was elected Sportsman of the Nation right from the beginning, in 2004. After his death, the title is currently held by András Balczó, Tamás Faragó, István Jónyer, Mária Weltner Györgyné Ivánkay, Jenő Kamuti, Ágnes Bíróné Keleti, Zoltán Magyar, Lajos Portisch, Ildikó Sági Györgyné Rejtő, Pál Schmitt and István Vaskuti.

MTI

Cover photo: László Hammerl with the gold and bronze medals he won at the Tokyo Olympics (Photo: László Petrovits/MTI)