Lajos Máté

Biographical information

RolesCompeted in Olympic Games
SexMale
Full nameLajos A. P.•Máté
Used nameLajos•Máté
Other namesLouis Mate
Born10 July 1928 in Budapest, Budapest (HUN)
Died10 November 2022 in Lakeside, Montana (USA)
AffiliationsMOLSPED
NOC Hungary

Biography

A ten-time Hungarian national slalom champion, Lajos Máté represented his country at the 1948 St. Moritz Olympics in all three disciplines, placing 48th, 66th, and 84th in the slalom, combined, and downhill respectively. He continued competing internationally, placing 22nd in the giant slalom at the 1954 World Championships, but fled his native country following the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. He settled in Cleveland, Ohio in the United States, changing his name to “Louis Mate”, but was eventually drawn to Salt Lake City, Utah, for its skiing opportunities.

Máté earned a degree in automobile design engineering from Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest and worked as a car salesman in his native country. After moving to the United States, he eventually opened an automobile dealership, Mate’s Sports Car Clinic, in Salt Lake City. He retired from active involvement in his company in 2002 and settled in Idaho.

Results

Games Discipline (Sport) / Event NOC / Team Pos Medal As
1948 Winter Olympics Alpine Skiing (Skiing) HUN Lajos Máté
Downhill, Men (Olympic) 84
Slalom, Men (Olympic) 48
Combined, Men (Olympic) 66