Jozsef SAKOVICS

József Sákovics competed at three Olympics for Hungary in fencing, winning two bronze and one silver medal in team events. He married Lídia Dömölky, who fenced for Hungary at four Olympics (1956-68), winning one gold and two silver medals in team foil events. After the Melbourne Olympics, while on a tour of the United States, they elected to defect and remain in the US, with József working as an auto mechanic and Sákovicsné Dömölky working as a draftswoman. The jobs were not enough for them, however, and they returned to Hungary in 1957, where they lived in Budapest throughout their lives. József Sákovics won a world championship in 1954 in team épée. He later became coach of the Hungarian national fencing team. He and Lídia spent 1996 in the US, serving as visiting coaches to the Harvard fencing team.