József Gerlach

Biographical information

RolesCompeted in Olympic Games
SexMale
Full nameJózsef•Gerlach
Used nameJózsef•Gerlach
Other namesJoseph Gerlach
Born28 October 1938 in Budapest, Budapest (HUN)
Died18 August 2021
AffiliationsBVSC, Budapest (HUN)
NOC Hungary

Biography

Joseph Gerlach defected from Hungary at the 1956 Olympics and eventually settled in the United States. He became a professional stunt diver, swan diving into Port-a-Pit foam padding for money, although the day before his wedding he misjudged the dive and had to have his face reconstructed. He spent time as an opening act for Evel Knievel in the 1970s and was on marquees on the Las Vegas strip. He also spent some time coaching divers, helping three make the 1964 Olympics. He then became a manager, coach, and agent for his son, Brad, a professional surfer. Gerlach then developed the Carveboard, a skateboard that works like a surfboard, selling more than 50,000 Carveboards in over 35 countries.

Results

Games Discipline (Sport) / Event NOC / Team Pos Medal As
1956 Summer Olympics Diving (Aquatics) HUN József Gerlach
Springboard, Men (Olympic) 8
Platform, Men (Olympic) 4

Olympic family relations

Special Notes