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Ede Király

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The native form of this personal name is Király Ede. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.

Ede Király
Király in 1940
Born(1926-02-23)23 February 1926
Budapest, Kingdom of Hungary
Died10 August 2009(2009-08-10) (aged 83)
Hungary
Figure skating career
Country Hungary
PartnerAndrea Kékesy
Medal record
Representing  Hungary
Figure skating
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1948 St. Mortiz Pairs
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1949 Paris Pairs
Silver medal – second place 1950 London Men's singles
Silver medal – second place 1949 Paris Men's singles
Silver medal – second place 1948 Davos Pairs
Bronze medal – third place 1948 Davos Men's singles
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 1950 Oslo Men's singles
Gold medal – first place 1949 Milan Pairs
Gold medal – first place 1948 Prague Pairs
Silver medal – second place 1949 Milan Men's singles

Ede Király (23 February 1926 – 10 August 2009)[1][2] was a Hungarian figure skater who competed both in men's singles and pairs. As a competitor in men's singles, he was a three-time World medalist (silver in 1949 and 1950, bronze in 1948), the 1950 European champion, and a six-time Hungarian national champion. Competing in pairs with Andrea Kékesy, he became the 1948 Olympic silver medalist, the 1949 World champion, and a two-time European champion (1948–1949). In 1950, he defected from Hungary and worked as a coach and engineer in Canada.

Competitive career

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Király's international career lasted only three years. It included two years where he had the unusual accomplishment of winning World medals in both men's singles and pairs.[3] He was coached by Arnold Gerschwiler.[4]

In 1948, he placed fourth at the European Championships in singles skating and won gold with Kékesy in pairs. In February, at the 1948 Winter Olympics, he placed fifth in singles and won silver in pairs. The week after, at the 1948 World Championships, he and Kékesy won silver again, and he won bronze individually.[3]

The next year, he and Kékesy won a second European title, and he placed second in the men's singles event. At the 1949 World Championships, he won an individual silver, and he and Kékesy became World champions.[3]

Király's last year competing was 1950, where he only skated in men's singles and became the 1950 European champion. At the World Championships, he won a second silver medal.[3]

After the close of the championships, Király was friendly with the Hungarian ambassador, who held a reception for the competitors, but then went to the London Home Office and defected from communist Hungary.[5] Király said that he feared returning to Hungary, as he refused to join the Hungarian Communist Party, and that his passport and other papers were being held by a Hungarian intelligence officer.[6][7] His family in Hungary, as well as another coach of his, Rudolf Dillinger, were arrested in response. Hungarian figure skaters were also not allowed to compete in the 1951 European and World Championships.[8]

Post-skating career

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In 1950, Király graduated from the Technical University of Budapest. After defecting from Hungary, he moved to Canada and became a coach in Oshawa, Ontario; he also worked as an engineer.[2] His students included Donald Jackson.[9] He returned to Hungary several times later in his life.[2]

Results

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Men's singles

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International[1][10][11]
Event 1941 1944 1947 1948 1949 1950
Winter Olympics 5th
World Championships 3rd 2nd 2nd
European Championships 4th 2nd 1st
National[12]
Hungarian Championships 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st

Pairs with Kékesy

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International[1][13][14]
Event 1944 1947 1948 1949
Winter Olympics 2nd
World Championships 2nd 1st
European Championships 1st 1st
National[12]
Hungarian Championships 1st 1st 1st 1st

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Ede Király". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 27 February 2017.
  2. ^ a b c "Elhunyt Király Ede, egykori világbajnok műkorcsolyázó" [Ede Király's obituary]. Magyar Nemzet (in Hungarian). 11 August 2009. Archived from the original on 17 August 2009. Retrieved 14 August 2009.
  3. ^ a b c d Hines, James R. (2011). Historical Dictionary of Figure Skating. Historical Dictionaries of Sports. Blue Ridge Summit: Scarecrow Press. pp. 137–138. ISBN 978-0-8108-6859-5.
  4. ^ Wright, Benjamin (April 1986). "The Hall of Fame". Skating. Vol. 63, no. 4. p. 6. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  5. ^ Button, Dick (1955). Dick Button on Skates. Prentice-Hall. p. 99.
  6. ^ "Europe's No. 1 Skater Quits Homeland". Lowell Sun. 12 March 1950. p. 15.
  7. ^ "Hungarian Skater Escapes Red Net". Sydney Daily Telegraph. 13 March 1950. p. 2.
  8. ^ "Műkorcsolya története" [History of figure skating]. Magyar Országos Korcsolyázó Szövetség (in Hungarian). Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  9. ^ Meade, Lee (January 1966). "The Jackson Code". Skating. Vol. 43, no. 1. pp. 20–23. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  10. ^ "World Figure Skating Championships: Men" (PDF). International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012.
  11. ^ "European Figure Skating Championships: Men" (PDF). International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 5 December 2013.
  12. ^ a b "Műkorcsolya bajnokok" [Hungarian figure skating champions] (in Hungarian). Hungarian National Skating Federation. Archived from the original on 21 April 2017.
  13. ^ "World Figure Skating Championships: Pairs" (PDF). International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 5 December 2013.
  14. ^ "European Figure Skating Championships: Pairs" (PDF). International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 5 December 2013.
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