István Szondy began his sporting career as a swimmer, but influenced by Ferenc Benedek he switched to the modern pentathlon. He also competed successfully in fencing and riding. Szondy competed at three Olympics, winning team gold and individual bronze in 1952 in modern pentathlon. He collected two gold, one silver and one bronze medal at the modern pentathlon World Championships. His final Olympics was at Melbourne in 1956, when he competed in show jumping.
Szondy graduated from the Budapest University of Physical Education in 1950. From 1952 he worked as a trainer for Budapest Fáklya. In 1956 he defected to Germany and worked at Goethe University in Frankfurt, as a physical education teacher and a trainer at the local fencing club. Szondy also worked as a national trainer for the US and German modern pentathlon teams. He returned to live in Hungary in 2000.
Hungary