Adrián Annus

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Adrián Annus (born June 28, 1973 in Szeged) is a hammer thrower from Hungary.

1 Career
2 Results
3 Hobby
4 Contact

[edit] Career

When he was a child he lived in Gyula. His first trainer was Géza Annus. In 1989 he decided to move to Szombathely. He attended Lajos Nagy grammar school and then Dániel Berzsenyi college. It was during his time at college that Haladás VSE signed him on. Here Gyula Simon was his trainer for a year, then Pál Németh took this very talented sportsman under his wing. His first significant result came in 1992, when he came eleventh in the Junior World Discus Championship in Seoul.

In 1998 he came eighth in the World Championship in Budapest. This result give his career a boost, he kept throwing beyond his dream distance of 80 metres. Lots of people said he was capable of winning a medal in the Sydney Olympics. The selection trials for that competition, however, did not go well, and he was left out of the team. However on a morning, he got the news that Balázs Kiss was injured and that he could go to join the team in Australia.

He sayed he had stopped training because he couldn't think of an injury which would cause anyone to drop out of the Olympics - he would have stood in the throwing circle on one leg! In the end he finished seventeenth in Sydney.

Before the Olympics he had already decided to leave Dobó SE and Pál Németh and move over to Haladás VSE. Under József Vida's coaching, Adrián learned many new things about his sport. He regards the change as the best decision in his life.In 2001 he came third in the world list, but this wasn't a good year. He only began to feel the benefits of a new trainer and environment in 2002.

Wherever he went, he usually won. He was seen as a likely winner of the Munich European Championship. Adrián didn't disappoint in this respect - he won. In the face of tremendous opposition, he hammered a hole in Europe. Fighting back the tears in his eyes, he ascended the podium thinking of his daughter, family, and friends.

Then in final of the Grand Prix series Koji Murofushi won against him with his last throw. In the World Cup, however, he struck back and finished 2002 on top of the world, as leader of the world rankings list. In summer of 2003, he threw a new national record, 84 m 19 cm. In 2003 he could be the first Hungarian athlete to win a gold medal in the World Championship.

After his injury in his knee in 2006, he is just recovering and start to compete again from june 2007.

[edit] Results

1996: Atlanta, Olympics 28. place
1998: Budapest, European Championship 8. place
2000: Sydney, Olympics 17.place
2001: Edmonton, World Championship 9. place
2001: Peking, Universiade 3. place
2002: München, European Champion
2002: Madrid, World Cup Champion
2002: Párizs, Grand Prix second best
2003: Szombathely (Hungary), MAL Cup, 84 meter 19 cm - hungarian record
2003: Párizs, WORLD Cup second best
2003: Szombathely (Hungary), World Athletic Final winner

[edit] Hobby

Adrian Annus is a heavy metal fanatic, and when relaxing at house parties and barbecues he sings along to the big hits of the past with former hammer throwing giant Imre Szitás. Their shadow guitaring skills are extraordinary. In his car he often listens to the Istvan the King rock opera (this is about the first Hungarian king) he really likes this album and finds it very relaxing to listen to.

He spends as much time as he can with his daughter - she is his biggest hobby.

[edit] Contact

email: annus@nyugat.hu
phone:00 36-20-2193829
(Gábor Pál, personal officer of Adrian Annus)
address: Nyugat.hu
Szombathely
Hollán E. u. 13
9700-Hungary

homepage: http://www.nyugat.hu/cgi-nyugat/cikksql.cgi?cikk=11834