Peter Bakonyi
Personal information
National team Canada
Born(1933-07-10)10 July 1933
Budapest, Hungary
Died26 August 1997(1997-08-26) (aged 64)
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Resting placeSchara Tzedeck Cemetery, New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada[1]
Home townVancouver, Canada
Height180 cm (5 ft 11 in)[2]
Weight78 kg (172 lb)[2]
Sport
Country Canada
SportFencing
Event(s)foil, épée
University teamEötvös Loránd University
Achievements and titles
National finals6x Canadian national champion
Medal record
Men's Fencing
British Empire and Commonwealth Games
Bronze medal – third place1962 Australiateam épée
Silver medal – second place1966 Jamaicateam épée
Bronze medal – third place1970 Scotlandteam épée
Maccabiah Games
Silver medal – second place1961 Israelfencing
Silver medal – second place1965 Israelfencing
Silver medal – second place1969 Israelfencing
Silver medal – second place1997 Israelfencing

Peter Bakonyi (10 July 1933 – 26 August 1997) was a Hungarian-born Canadian Olympic foil and épée fencer. He competed at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. He was also a six-time Canadian national fencing champion, 18-time British Columbia fencing champion, three-time medalist at the Commonwealth Games, four-time silver medalist at the Maccabiah Games in Israel.

Early life

Bakonyi was born in Budapest, Hungary, and was Jewish.[3] He met his wife Vera at a function in high school.[4] He attended law school and fenced at Budapesti EAC in Budapest, graduating with a law degree in 1956 at the Faculty of Law of Eötvös Loránd University and trained for the modern pentathlon (épée fencing, swimming, horseback riding, shooting, and cross country running).[4][5]

In 1957 he and Vera immigrated to Canada from Hungary. They married in Vancouver, Canada, in 1959.[6][4] Bakonyi switched his career to real estate, and began to train solely in fencing.[4] As of 1968, he worked as a finance manager in the real estate division of Canada Permanent Trust Company.[5]

He and his family lived in Vancouver.[7] His sons Ron Bakonyi and David Bakonyi fenced for Canada, in the late 1980s and early 1990s.[6][8] Ron won silver medals in the 1981 Maccabiah Games and the 1985 Maccabiah Games, competed at the 1993 Maccabiah Games, and competed in the 1989 World Fencing Championships.[9][10][11] David was a member of the Canadian National Fencing Team from 1993-95, and fenced in three Fencing World Championships, and won a gold medal in team epee at the 1989 Maccabiah Games and a silver medal at the 1997 Maccabiah Games in Israel.[12][11][13]

Fencing career

Bakonyi was a six-time Canadian national fencing champion, and an 18-time British Columbia fencing champion.[4][8]

Bakonyi earned a bronze medal for Canada in team épée at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games (now known as the Commonwealth Games) in Australia, a silver medal in team épée at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Jamaica, and a bronze medal in team épée at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games in Scotland.[12] He also fenced for Canada at the 1963 Pan American Games in São Paulo, Brazil, and the 1967 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada.[5]

He competed at 35 years of age at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City for Canada in the individual foil, team foil (coming in 11th), individual épée (coming in 17th), and team épée (coming in 11th) events.[14][15]

Bakonyi won silver medals at the 1961 Maccabiah Games, 1965 Maccabiah Games, 1969 Maccabiah Games, and at 64 years of age at the 1997 Maccabiah Games in Israel, and competed in the 1973 Maccabiah Games.[16][17][11][12][13]

Bakonyi died suddenly of a stroke in 1997, at 64 years of age.[6][18][19]

The annual Peter Bakonyi Men’s Épée World Cup (formerly, Challenge Peter Bakonyi) in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada is named in his honor.[20][21][4] In 2020, Bas Verwijlen of the Netherlands won the gold medal.[22]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Peter Bakonyi," Schara Tzedeck Cemetery Board.
  2. 1 2 "Peter Bakonyi; Biographical information". Olympedia.
  3. ↑ "Peter Bakonyi". Team Canada.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "David and Vera Bakonyi". Jewish Museum and Archives of BC. 16 December 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 "Fencing Champion to Assist Program Plans". Jewish Western Bulletin. 21 June 1968. p. 4.
  6. 1 2 3 Lori Ewing (7 February 2020). "Legacy of World Cup seen in the future of young Canadian fencers". Coupe du monde Peter Bakonyi World Cup.
  7. ↑ ""Maccabi World Union"" (PDF).
  8. 1 2 Kyle Berger (12 March 2004). "The Bakonyis bring cup home; Fencing tournament to send athletes to the Olympics in Athens, Greece". Jewish Independent.
  9. ↑ "1993 Maccabiah Games Team Canada Delegation"
  10. ↑ "Vancouverite Bud Wolochow ranks among medal winners at 11th Maccabiah in Israel". Jewish Western Bulletin. 6 August 1981. p. 3.
  11. 1 2 3 Irvine Epstein (20 July 1989). "Bakonyi unearths gold in Maccabiah". Jewish Western Bulletin. p. 3.
  12. 1 2 3 Ian Walker (20 March 2004). "Best Friends in Last Battle". The Vancouver Sun. p. 154.
  13. 1 2 "1997 Maccabiah Games Team Canada Delegation"
  14. ↑ "Peter Bakonyi," Olympics.com.
  15. ↑ "Peter Bakonyi Olympic Results". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 27 December 2010.
  16. ↑ "1969 Maccabiah Games Team Canada Delegation"
  17. ↑ Leible Hershfield (1980). The Jewish Athlete; A Nostalgic View, p. 196.
  18. ↑ Walker, Ian (20 March 2004). "Best friends in last battle". The Vancouver Sun. p. J5. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  19. ↑ "Registration of Death". Royal BC Museum.
  20. ↑ Robyn Hughes (30 May 2019). "Canadian Fencing Federation Announcement".
  21. ↑ Gary Kingston (10 February 2016). "Laurie Shong thrust back onto world fencing stage". Vancouver Sun.
  22. ↑ "Netherlands' Verwijlen, Team Korea Take Gold in Vancouver Men's Epee Fencing World Cup". The International Fencing Federation. 10 February 2020.
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