Tibor Berczelly

Biographical information

RolesCompeted in Olympic Games • Referee
SexMale
Full nameTibor•Berczelly (Berczeller-)
Used nameTibor•Berczelly
Nick/petnamesSuta
Born3 January 1912 in Rákospalota, Budapest (HUN)
Died15 October 1990 in Budapest, Budapest (HUN)
AffiliationsHonvéd Tiszti Vívó Klub, Budapest (HUN) / MTK, Budapest (HUN) / Vörös Meteor, Budapest (HUN)
NOC Hungary
Medals OG
Gold 3
Silver 0
Bronze 2
Total 5

Biography

As a high school student Tibor Berczelly tried a variety of sports, at first athletics, swimming, and skating. It was only as a military academician that he started fencing and sport shooting. In 1932 he graduated from the Ludovika Academy and in 1938 earned degrees from the Miklós Toldi Honvéd Sports Teacher and Fencing Master Training School. Berczelly was a versatile fencer, as shown by the fact that he won 28 Hungarian championships (8 individual sabre, 11 team sabre, 8 team foil, 1 team épée). He also won a Hungarian championship in shooting.

Berczelly’s affiliations in chronological order were as follows: Zrínyi Akadémia SE of Pécs (1931), LASE (1932-1933), HTVK (1934-1936), MAC (1937-1939), HTVK (1940-1945), then from 1946 until his retirement he was with Toldi SC, Csepel MTK and Bp. Vörös Meteor. Between 1932 and 1955 he was a member of the Hungarian fencing team. He competed in three Olympics – 1936, 1948, and 1952 – winning team sabre gold medals at all three games. Additionally, in 1952, he finished third in individual sabre. At the World Championships Berczelly won four golds, one silver, and one bronze medal, adding one gold medal at the European Championships.

Berczelly was discharged from the military as a major in 1944 and from 1948 he was the chief supervisor of the Hungarian National Bank, then a fencing teacher at the College of Physical Education and a fencing master at the Budapest Vörös Meteor SE. He later became a master trainer, beginning in 1964.

Results

Games Discipline (Sport) / Event NOC / Team Pos Medal As
1936 Summer Olympics Fencing HUN Tibor Berczelly
Sabre, Team, Men (Olympic) Hungary 1 Gold
1948 Summer Olympics Fencing HUN Tibor Berczelly
Sabre, Individual, Men (Olympic) 5 p2 r3/4
Sabre, Team, Men (Olympic) Hungary 1 Gold
1952 Summer Olympics Fencing HUN Tibor Berczelly
Foil, Team, Men (Olympic) Hungary 3 Bronze
Sabre, Individual, Men (Olympic) 3 Bronze
Sabre, Team, Men (Olympic) Hungary 1 Gold

Referee

Games Sport (Discipline) / Event NOC / Team Phase Unit Role As
1936 Summer Olympics Fencing HUN Tibor Berczelly
Sabre, Individual, Men (Olympic) Round One Pool 3 Judge

Special Notes