Quick Facts
Biography
Áron Szilágyi (pronounced [ˈaːron ˈsilaːɟi]; born 14 January 1990) is a Hungarian sabre fencer, team world champion in 2007, two-time Olympic champion in 2012 and 2016 and European champion in 2015.
Career
Szilágyi began fencing at age nine at Vasas SC in Budapest, which remains his club as of 2015. His first coach was György Gerevich, whom he considers as his personal hero alongside György's father, seven-time Olympic champion Aladár Gerevich.
While he was still a cadet, Szilágyi joined the senior Hungarian team for the 2007 World Fencing Championships in Saint-Petersburg. Hungary won their first gold medal in men's sabre since 1998 after defeating France 45–43. For this performance, Tamás Decsi, Balázs Lontay, Zsolt Nemcsik and Áron Szilágyi were named Hungarian team of the year.
He competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, finishing 15th in the individual event and 7th in the team event. He earned team bronze in the 2009 World Fencing Championships in Antalya, and placed third in the individual event of the 2011 European Fencing Championships in Sheffield.
The only Hungarian to qualify to the men's sabre event of the 2012 Summer Olympics, he was seeded no.5. In the table of 16 he defeated 2008 Olympic champion Zhong Man of China, then overcame Germany's Max Hartung and Russia's Nikolay Kovalev to reach the final. After taking an early 7-0 lead over Italy's Diego Occhiuzzi, Szilágyi closed the match on 15–8 to win Hungary's first gold medal in the London games.
Szilágyi featured on the official poster and video campaign of the 2013 World Fencing Championships held in his home city, Budapest. He was defeated in the semi-finals by Nikolay Kovalev and took the bronze medal. In the team event, Hungary was eliminated in the table of 8 by Romania and finished 7th after the ranking matches. Szilágyi finished the season world no.2, a career best as of 2015.
In the 2014–15 season Szilágyi claimed his first continental title in Montreux, after prevailing over Max Hartung despite a right-ankle injury. Hartung took his revenge in the 2015 World Fencing Championships by defeating Szilágyi in the quarter-finals of the individual event. After the competition Szilágyi announced that he would prepare for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro with András Decsi, Singapore's national coach and elder brother to Szilágyi's teammate Tamás.
Personal life
Szilágyi studies international relations at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest.
Awards
- Hungarian Junior fencer of the Year (2): 2006, 2009
- Junior Príma award (2010)
- Hungarian fencer of the Year (3): 2011, 2012, 2016
- Honorary Citizen of Budapest (2012)
- Orders and special awards
Order of Merit of Hungary – Officer's Cross (2012)
Order of Merit of Hungary – Commander's Cross (2016)
Order of Merit of Hungary – Officer's Cross (2012)
Order of Merit of Hungary – Commander's Cross (2016)