As a young man Tibor Benkő tried different sports. He swam in Eger and did track and field and played hockey in Budapest during his years in High School. He discovered Modern Pentathlon at the Ludovika Military Academy. In 1932 he was selected for the Hungarian team participating in the Los Angeles Olympics, where he reached 18th place in MP. He also entered the épée competition and reached the semi-finals.
He later tested his skills in other sports, including wrestling, boxing and tennis. While in Sopron and then in Târgu Mureş he worked as a sports teacher and coach in military education centers. He was a sports teacher for Gábor Benedek, the later world and Olympic champion in MP.
He was ostracized during communism, but as a sports teacher he was able to teach from time to time. As an old man, he taught fencing and tennis in Gödöllő, and at the age of 75 he obtained the qualification of a fencing instructor. In Gödöllő, a foundation supporting fencing sports was named after him.
Hungary