Maria KÖVI-ZALAI

Mária Kövi-Zalai took up gymnastics while in high school and was on the Hungarian national team from 1946-52. Kövi-Zalai won team all-around silvers at the 1948 and 1952 Olympics and team portable apparatus bronze at the 1952 Olympics. She also won silvers in team all-around at the 1949 and 1951 World Festival of Youth and Students, a precursor to the Universiade. Domestically Kövi-Zalai was the Hungarian vault and floor exercise champion in 1946 and team champion in 1949.

After finishing her sporting career, Kövi-Zalai worked as a gymnastics coach, serving as head coach of the Hungarian national gymnastics team in 1954 and later worked as the department head at a watch factory in Budapest.