Mária Róka

Mária Róka started kayaking in the colors of Ganz-MÁVAG, coached by László Kemény, who later became her husband. Her most successful year was 1964, when she won the Hungarian championship in K-1 over 3,000 metres and the K-2 500 metres with Katalin Benkő. That year she was nominated to the national team and took part in the Tokyo Olympics, where she originally was scheduled to paddle in pairs with Benkő, but Róka showed such good form that she was also nominated in singles. She finished seventh in K-2 and eighth in K-1. As a member of the Hungarian K-4, Róka finished sixth in the world championships in 1965 and fifth in 1966.

Róka died two weeks before her 81th birthday, one day after her husband died.