| Personal information | |
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| Born | June 20, 1946 Nové Zámky, Czechoslovakia |
| Died | April 5, 2007 San Jose, California, United States |
| Updated on April 13, 2007. | |
Ladislav Pataki (June 20, 1946 – April 5, 2007) was an American coach, sports scientist, and masters track and field thrower. He defected from Czechoslovakia in 1985 with his wife and daughter, settling in Los Gatos, California. He influenced the training of several world-class athletes living in the South Bay Area, where he continued his sports science career and developed nutritional supplements. As a masters competitor in track and field, he won several world championships and set world records in shot put and discus.[1]
He had surgery for brain cancer in the Czech Republic in 2006, after declining chemotherapy. When the tumor could not be completely removed, he entered an assisted living residence in San Jose, California.[2] He died at age 60.
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Pataki grew up in Nové Zámky, in the former Soviet-bloc state of Czechoslovakia.[3] Nové Zámky is located in the Nitra Region in the southwest of modern Slovakia. According to his resumes, Pataki was the 1964 Czechoslovak Junior Champion and record holder in shot put. After competing in sports internationally as a youth, he earned two Doctorate of Research degrees from Bratislava Komenski University, with a 1971 thesis in kinesiology and a 1977 thesis in sport science.[4]
After completing his first doctorate, he started his career in 1972 as head coach for discus throwing of the Czechoslovak National Team. He held progressively responsible positions in Czechoslovakia until his defection in 1985.[5]
In the U.S., Pataki continued his sports science career, influencing the training of a group of world-class throwers in the South Bay who were competing in shot put, discus, and hammer throw. The concentration of strength-event athletes became known as "Weight City." (Nearby San Jose State University had been nicknamed Speed City during its period of track and field success in the 1960s.)[6] He also began a business career developing and marketing nutritional supplements.
In 2006, Pataki helped develop a nanotechnology-based skin care product at AmerElite Solutions, where he was the director of research and development.[7]
Pataki won world championships and set several records as a masters athletics (track and field) competitor in shot put, discus, and weight pentathlon.[8]
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