Gyula DOBAI

Gyula Dobay competed at three Olympics for Hungary as a swimmer – 1956-64. His best finish was fifth in the 1960 100 freestyle final, although he also made the final of that event in 1964 and his Hungarian medley relay team also made the 1964 final. After the 1956 Olympics, Dobay defected to the United States, as did many Hungarian Olympians in response to the Soviet repression of the Hungarian October Revolution. He stayed in the United States for 16 months, but had difficulty finding a permanent job and returned to Hungary, rejoining the national swim team. He later ran a sports shop in Budapest.