István Énekes died in January 1940 in Budapest under uncertain circumstances. Various sources indicate that he took his own life before the German Gestapo could get hold of him. Other sources, such as the Hungarian Olympic Committee, claim that he had suffered a nervous breakdown after marriage problems and was admitted to hospital, where he jumped out a window. In 1928, he took part in the national Olympic trials, but was defeated by [Tony Kocsis] (/athletes/3813), who eventually became gold medal winner in Amsterdam. In 1930 and 1934 Énekes become European champion in the flyweight and the bantamweight classes, respectively. He competed for the Hungarian national team 26 times and won a total of four national titles. In the year of his Olympic victory, Énekes was awarded the Hungarian Order of Merit. His brother, non-Olympian Vilmos Énekes was also a boxer, winning the European Featherweight Championship in 1937. István worked as a railway conductor and also competed for the railway workers’ sports club.
Hungary