György Kárpáti

He is one of eight male athletes who won four or more Olympic medals in water polo, and one of ten male athletes who won three Olympic gold medals in water polo.

György Kárpáti

Kárpáti in 2014
Personal information
Born	(1935-06-23)23 June 1935 Budapest, Hungary
Died	17 June 2020(2020-06-17) (aged 84) Budapest, Hungary
Height	167 cm (5 ft 6 in)
Weight	71 kg (157 lb)
Sport
Sport	Water polo
Club	Budapesti Kinizsi Ferencvárosi Torna Club
Medal record Men's Water Polo Representing  Hungary Olympic Games 1952 Helsinki Team competition 1956 Melbourne Team competition 1960 Rome Team competition 1964 Tokyo Team competition

Kárpáti was born in Budapest, and was a member of the Hungarian team which won the gold medal in the 1952 tournament. He played five matches and scored four goals.

Four years later he was a member of the Hungarian team which won again the gold medal in the 1956 Olympic tournament. He played six matches and scored at least six goals (not all scorers are known).

At the 1960 Games he won the bronze medal with the Hungarian team. He played four matches and scored five goals.

His last Olympic tournament was in Tokyo 1964 where he won his third gold medal. He played six matches and scored four goals for the Hungarian team.

Kárpáti studied and gained a degree in law, but he never practised it, he also got a degree in coaching in 1964, which he used when he was assistant coach to Dezső Gyarmati for the national team between 1970-80. Their main success was winning the gold medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics.

In 1982, Kárpáti was elected in to the International Swimming Hall of Fame, and from 1994 he became a member of the Association of Immortal Hungarian Athletes.

After a long illness Kárpáti died on 17 June 2020, aged 84 years. He was buried in the Farkasréti Cemetery on 2 July 2020.

György was born Jewish. He was a great friend of the former water polo player and distinguished Italian actor Bud Spencer.

• Hungary men's Olympic water polo team records and statistics
• List of multiple Olympic medalists in one event
• List of multiple Olympic gold medalists in one event
• List of Olympic champions in men's water polo
• List of Olympic medalists in water polo (men)
• List of players who have appeared in multiple men's Olympic water polo tournaments
• List of members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame
• List of select Jewish water polo players
• Blood in the Water match