László Zarándi

László Zarándi started his sports career as a striker in the football team of VSE in Szeged. His father wanted him to study to be a veterinarian, but the boy applied to the College of Physical Education instead, because he always wanted to be a physical educator. Although his main goal at that time was to become a soccer player for Ferencváros, due to his speed and explosiveness, he was noticed in other sports as well, so he became an athlete. This quickly brought him success as he performed well in university and college national championships.

Zarándi finally decided on athletics at the age of twenty in 1949, after defeating his friend Géza Varasdi in the 100 metres. At that time the Hungarian 4x100 relay was already formed, in which from 1951 György Csányi and Béla Goldoványi started alongside Zarándi and Varasdi, and received the name “lightning sticks”. The team won the bronze medal at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, behind the United States and the Soviet Union, which was a sensational result, and then went undefeated for two years, including coming first at the 1954 European Championships in Bern.

Zarándi could not go to the 1956 Melbourne Olympics with the team, due to an injury, which ultimately did not even make it to the finals. After Zarándi retired, he continued to work as a coach and headed the athletics department of the College of Physical Education until 1992. He started as a teaching assistant in 1952 and was a staff member of the institution for a total of forty-four years.

Personal Best: 100 – 10.7 (1954).