Éva Gérard-Novák
Biographical information
| Roles | Competed in Olympic Games |
|---|---|
| Sex | Female |
| Full name | Éva•Gérard-Novák |
| Used name | Éva•Gérard-Novák |
| Born | 8 January 1930 in Budapest, Budapest (HUN) |
| Died | 30 June 2005 in Bruxelles (Brussels), Région de Bruxelles-Capitale (BEL) |
| Affiliations | Ferencvárosi TC, Budapest (HUN) / OlSC, Antwerpen (BEL) |
| NOC |  Belgium  Hungary |
| Medals | OG |
| Gold | 1 |
| Silver | 2 |
| Bronze | 1 |
| Total | 4 |
Biography
Éva Novák’s strongest event was the 200 m breast stroke. She twice bettered the world record (1950-51), and won an Olympic bronze (1948) and silver (1952). At the 1952 Olympics, Novák also won a silver in the 200 m freestyle, and swam on the golden Hungarian relay team, together with her sister Ilona. In Helsinki, she also met a Belgian reporter, Pierre Gérard, who would become her husband. Novák moved to Brussels to study medicine, and started swimming for Belgium. Her last Olympic participation was for that country, and she also won eight Belgian titles (compared to 33 Hungarian titles). Éva Novák was inducted in the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1973, together with her sister. She was unable to return to her birth country until after the fall of the iron curtain.
Results
| Games | Discipline (Sport) / Event | NOC / Team | Pos | Medal | As | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 Summer Olympics | Swimming (Aquatics) | HUN |
Éva Novák | |||
| 4 × 100 metres Freestyle Relay, Women (Olympic) | Hungary | |||||
| 200 metres Breaststroke, Women (Olympic) | 3 | Bronze | ||||
| 1952 Summer Olympics | Swimming (Aquatics) | HUN |
Éva Novák | |||
| 400 metres Freestyle, Women (Olympic) | 2 | Silver | ||||
| 4 × 100 metres Freestyle Relay, Women (Olympic) | Hungary | 1 | Gold | |||
| 200 metres Breaststroke, Women (Olympic) | 2 | Silver | ||||
| 1956 Summer Olympics | Swimming (Aquatics) | BEL |
Éva Gérard-Novák | |||
| 200 metres Breaststroke, Women (Olympic) | 11 |
Olympic family relations
- Sister of Ilona Novák
Special Notes
- Listed in Olympians Who Set a European Record in Long Course Swimming (200 m breaststroke – 21 October 1950 - 1 January 1953: 2:48.8 (21 October 1950; Székesfehérvár, HUN), 2:48.5 (5 May 1951; Moskva, URS); 4×100 m freestyle relay – 27 April 1952 - 22 March 1957: 4:27.2 (27 April 1952; Moskva, URS), 4:24.4 (1 August 1952; Helsinki, FIN))
- Listed in Olympians Who Set a World Record in Long Course Swimming (200 m breaststroke – 21 October 1950 - 13 November 1956: 2:48.8 (21 October 1950; Székesfehérvár, HUN) (competed as Éva Novák for Hungary), 2:48.5 (5 May 1951; Moskva, URS) (competed as Éva Novák for Hungary); 4×100 m freestyle relay – 27 April 1952 - 20 October 1956: 4:27.2 (27 April 1952; Moskva, URS) (competed as Éva Novák for Hungary), 4:24.4 (1 August 1952; Helsinki, FIN) (competed as Éva Novák for Hungary))