György Kolonics

György Kolonics

Kolonics on a 2016 stamp of Hungary
Personal information
Born	4 June 1972 Budapest, Hungary
Died	15 July 2008 (aged 36) Budapest, Hungary
Height	180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	80 kg (176 lb)
Sport
Sport	Canoe sprint
Club	Budapesti Spartacus Csepel SC, Budapest
Medal record Representing  Hungary Olympic Games 1996 Atlanta C-2 500 m 1996 Atlanta C-2 1000 m 2000 Sydney C-1 500 m 2004 Athens C-2 1000 m World Championships 1993 Copenhagen C-2 500 m 1993 Copenhagen C-4 1000 m 1993 Copenhagen C-1 500 m 1994 Mexico City C-4 1000 m 1994 Mexico City C-2 200 m 1994 Mexico City C-2 500 m 1994 Mexico City C-4 200 m 1995 Duisburg C-2 200 m 1995 Duisburg C-2 500 m 1995 Duisburg C-2 1000 m 1995 Duisburg C-4 200 m 1995 Duisburg C-4 500 m 1997 Dartmouth C-2 500 m 1997 Dartmouth C-4 500 m 1997 Dartmouth C-2 1000 m 1997 Dartmouth C-4 200 m 1998 Szeged C-2 500 m 1998 Szeged C-4 500 m 2001 Poznań C-1 500 m 2001 Poznań C-1 1000 m 2002 Seville C-1 500 m 2003 Gainesville C-4 200 m 2003 Gainesville C-2 1000 m 2005 Zagreb C-2 500 m 2005 Zagreb C-2 1000 m 2006 Szeged C-2 1000 m 2006 Szeged C-2 500 m 2007 Duisburg C-2 500 m

György "Kolo" Kolonics (4 June 1972 – 15 July 2008) was a Hungarian sprint canoeist who won two gold and two bronze medals at four Summer Olympics. He also won a record fifteen gold medals at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships. He died from heart failure while preparing for his fifth Olympics.

Kolonics started canoeing at the Budapesti Spartacus sport club, but soon moved to Csepel SC and remained at the club for his entire career. He first represented Hungary at the 1991 World Championships, and achieved a fifth and the sixth place in the C-4 events. At the 1992 Summer Olympics he achieved a fifth and the seventh place in the C-2 events with Attila Pálizs.

After the 1992 Olympics he teamed up with Csaba Horváth, and the pair dominated the doubles for several years. They won their first gold together at the 1993 World Championships, and after winning a record of five gold medals at the 1995 World Championships they crowned their cooperation at the 1996 Summer Olympics by winning the gold in C-2 500 m in a photo finish and a bronze medal in C-2 1000 m. They won a total of 11 World Championships gold medals together in C-2 and C-4 events, and between 1993 and 1998 there were only two major international competitions where they did not win the C-2 500 m gold medal.

After Horváth's retirement in 1998, Kolonics started to focus on the singles and at the 2000 Summer Olympics he won the C-1 500 m gold medal. Afterwards he returned to doubles again, teaming up with the younger György Kozmann. The pair won a bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in C-2 1000 m, and a gold medal at both the 2006 World Championships and the 2007 World Championships in C-2 500 m. They were also to represent Hungary in both C-2 500 m and C-2 1000 m at the 2008 Summer Olympics. This would have been the fifth Olympic Games for Kolonics, who was also being considered to carry the Hungarian flag at the opening ceremony (this honour later went to kayaker Zoltán Kammerer).

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