József Csatári

József Csatári tried many different sports as a youth. He started with football, but at age 14 moved to athletics, as a shot putter, and later played handball. He became a butcher and when he worked at the slaughterhouse, one of his companions invited him to Kinizsi Húsos, so he finally found his sport – wrestling. His first success was when he finished third at the junior championship and in 1962 he was invited to be a coaching partner on the national team. Because he did not want to diet, he wrestled in the higher weight group, where István Kozma, later a two-time Olympics champion, was his main training partner and Csatári learned from him.

In 1963, Csatári débuted with the adult national team, but he did not qualify for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. He then moved to Bp. Honvéd, where he was coached by Károly Kárpáti, the Berlin Olympic champion. In 1968 Csatári competed at the Olympics and won a freestyle bronze medal at 97 kg. Four years later in München, he won a bronze medal in freestyle and also finished fourth in Greco-Roman, but in the 100 kg class. He was one of the last wrestlers to be successful in both styles.

Altogether Csatári won two World Championship silver medals, and nationally won 19 individual and 21 team championships. He retired in 1975. In addition to sports, he graduated from the catering technical school, so he first became the head of the Honvéd Clubhouse, and then returned to the slaughterhouse, from where he retired in 1985 due to deteriorating health.

József Csatári had the following finishes at major championships – 1970 World Championship: Unlimited Greco-Roman (2nd); 1973 World Championship: 100.0 kg. Freestyle (2nd); 1971 World Championship: 100.0 kg. Freestyle (4th); 1963 World Championship: 97.0 kg. Greco-Roman (6th); 1973 World Championship: Unlimited Greco-Roman (6th); 1973 European Championship: 100.0 kg. Freestyle (2nd); 1966 European Championship: 97.0 kg. Freestyle (3rd); 1967 European Championship: 97.0 kg. Freestyle (4th); 1968 European Championship: 97.0 kg. Freestyle (4th); 1970 European Championship: 100.0 kg. Freestyle (4th); 1969 European Championship: 100.0 kg. Freestyle (5th); 1974 European Championship: 100.0 kg. Freestyle (6th).