Istvan SOMODY

István Somodi started his sports career in his hometown and, from 1904, competed as an athlete of BEAC. In 1905, he won a national championship title in long jump. At the 1906 Olympics, travelling at his own expense, he achieved sixth place in the standing long jump.

At the 1908 Olympics he won second place in high jump. In the same year, he changed to KEAC and won a national high jump championship. From 1911 he was the head of the athletics department of KEAC. He did not attend the 1912 Stockholm Olympics because he was preparing for his lawsuit. The First World War ended his athletic career. After the war, he re-organized the Department of Athletics Club of Cluj-Napoca (KAC) and later became the president of the association. After 1945, during the communist regime, he was not allowed to play any roles in any fields of sport. Being considered exploitative, he was even deprived of his pension.

Personal Bests: HJ – 1.88 (1908); LJ – 6.82 (1907).