Gyözö KULCSAR

Győző Kulcsár was born in Budapest in 1940, but during World War II lived with his parents first in Germany and then in Sweden. In 1946 they returned to Hungary, where he started his sporting career at age 15. From 1957 he competed for Dózsa Újpest. During his university years in Miskolc, Kulcsár competed for Miskolc EAFC, then moved back to Budapest where he competed briefly for Vasas and then for OSC.

Kulcsár competed in both foil and épée, and was a member of both Hungarian national teams between 1962-79, but achieved most of his success in épée. For nearly two decades, he played a significant role in the success of the Hungarian épée team, one of the best teams in the world at the time. Starting from 1964, he helped win three consecutive Olympic team titles, and also won the individual gold in 1968. At the World Championships, Kulcsár won nine medals, including three golds.

Kulcsár graduated from the College of Physical Education and the Technical University. After completing his sports career, he became secretary-general of the Hungarian Fencing Association in 1979. From 1980-88, he was head coach of the Hungarian national team. From 1988-2001, Kulcsár worked as a trainer at AC Pro Vercelli in Italy, while from 2001 he was a coach for Bp. Honvéd and from 2005-12, was the head coach of the Hungarian épée team.

His distinguished students included Tímea Nagy, Szász Emese, Gábor Boczkó and his nephew, Krisztián Kulcsár. Győző Kulcsár was selected Hungarian fencer of the year three times (1968, 1971, 1974). In 2000, he was chosen to be a member of the Association of the All-Time Best Hungarian Athletes.