Gyarmati, Andrea

Sport:
swimming

Country Represented:
Hungary

Years Competed:
1968, 1972

Medals Received:
silver, bronze

Olympic Info:
The daughter of Olympic legends Eva Szekely, and Dezso Gyarmati, Andrea competed for Hungary in two Olympiads. At the 1968 Mexico City Games, when she was only 14 years old, Andrea swam in three events. In the the 100-meter backstroke, she finished third in her preliminary heat (1:11.3), and then finished fifth in the final with a time of 1:09.1 (missing a medal by 1.0 seconds). Gyarmati then competed in the 100-meter butterfly and advanced to the finals after finishing second in her preliminary heat (1:07.4). In the final, she again finished in fifth place with a time of 1:06.8. Her final competition at the 1968 Games was as a member of Hungary's 4x100-meter freestyle relay. The Hungarians made the final after finishing second in thir preliminary heat (4:13.6); in the final, Andrea and her teammates finished fifth in 4:11.0 (she swam the third leg).

At the 1972 Munich Games, Gyarmati competed in four events and had a very successful Olympiad, winning two medals. In the 100-meter butterfly, she set the world record with a time of 1:03.8 in her semifinal heat. In the final, Gyarmati broke her own record with a time of 1:03.73, but finished third to win the bronze (Mayumi Aoki of Japan won the gold with a time of 1:03.34). Andrea then swam in the 100-meter backstroke, and after winning her preliminary heat, she captured the silver medal by finishing second in the final (1:06.26). Andrea also competed in the 200-meter backstroke, but did not advance past her preliminary heat (she finished fourth in 2:25.81), and was a member of Hungary's 4x100-meter freestyle relay team that finished fourth.

Career Highlights:
At the 1973 World Championships, Gyarmati won the bronze medal in the 200-meter backstroke with a time of 2:22.48. At the 1970 European Championships, she won the gold medal in the 200-meter backstroke and 100-meter butterfly, and took the silver in the 100-meter backstroke and 400-meter medley relay. During her illustrious career, Andrea won 28 Hungarian National Championships in the freestyle, backstroke, and butterfly events. In 1995, she was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame. Andrea's mother, Eva Szekely, and father Dezso Gyarmati, competed and medaled in the Olympics.

Birth and Death Dates:
b. May 1954

Origin:
Budapest, Hungary

< Previous |  Next >