Károly Takács

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Olympic medal record
Men's Shooting
Gold 1948 London 25 m rapid fire pistol
Gold 1952 Helsinki 25 m rapid fire pistol

Károly Takács (Hungarian name order Takács Károly) (January 21, 1910January 5, 1976)[1][2] was the first shooter to win two Olympic gold medals in the 25 m Rapid Fire Pistol event. He was born in Budapest and after a grenade accident in 1938 he had to change to shooting with his left hand, soon mastering it. Already in 1939, he was part of the Hungarian team that won the World Championships, and in the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, Takács surprised the world by winning the gold medal.

Takács preparing for shooting on Poland-Hungary-Yugoslavia competition in Bydgoszcz, Poland in 1961
Takács preparing for shooting on Poland-Hungary-Yugoslavia competition in Bydgoszcz, Poland in 1961
Takács shooting on Poland-Hungary-Yugoslavia competition in Bydgoszcz, Poland in 1961
Takács shooting on Poland-Hungary-Yugoslavia competition in Bydgoszcz, Poland in 1961

The story has given him a place among the "Olympic heroes" of the IOC. After his second victory in Helsinki in 1952, he also attended the 1956 games in Melbourne, but did not get a third medal. Not until 2004 did a shooter succeed in getting three Olympic gold medals in the event.

Although most associated with Rapid Fire Pistol, Takács also won a bronze medal at the 1958 ISSF World Shooting Championships in 25 m Center-Fire Pistol.


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