Gizella Tary

Gizella Tary was the first outstanding Hungarian female fencer. The first Hungarian women’s fencing championship was held in 1909 in Bratislava, where Tary won the individual foil. After that she did not compete for 15 years, but worked as an actress and wrote plays.

When the women’s foil was introduced at the 1924 Olympics, the 40-year-old Tary, who had abandoned regular training for 10 years, began to train with Italo Santelli at Salle Santelli. She finished sixth in individual foil at the 1924 Paris Olympics, which brought a huge boost to women’s fencing in Hungary. Tary continued to fence for a few years, and competed again at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics, with less success. After finishing her career, she worked as a fencing coach until her death.