István Encsi

When István Encsi was 17 years old he wanted to become a weightlifter. He could not implement his plan because Ózd Kohász, the local sport club, did not have a weightlifting department at the time. As an alternative he then chose the hammer throw, as it also requires strength. Two years later, he became the Hungarian youth champion in this discipline. Based on his results, he was then ranked seventh in the world among the youth hammer throwers.

In 1964, he already won the title of adult team champion in the colors of Budapesti Honvéd. The two-year military service and the constant changes of affiliations and coaches held him back in his development. As a result he only re-enlisted in 1971, when he won the Hungarian championship in the hammer throw as an athlete of Építők SC, which he repeated in 1974 and 1975. In 1976, he also won the team championship with the Építók team. He was the member of the Hungarian national team between 1970 and 1976.

He took part in the 1972 München Olympics, where he finished 11th, and in the 1971 and 1974 European Championships, where he finished in eighth place both times. His personal best in the hammer throw was 73.28 metres, which he achieved in 1971.

In 1981, he obtained a professional coaching qualification at the College of Physical Education, which he utilized as a professional coach for the Építők SC and the Hungarian national team after finishing his active career. He stopped coaching in 1989 due to problems with making a living and continued working as a construction entrepreneur.

Personal Best: HT – 73.28 (1971).