Esztergom Évlapjai 2000

HORVÁTHY Péter: Esztergomi úszóélet az 19501960-as években

Péter HORVÁTHY SWIMMING IN ESZTERGOM (1959 64) In the early sixties, swimming in Esztergom became surprisingly successful, reaching the seventh rank among all clubs and even the second among the provinciai clubs of Hungary. The success of the Esztergom swimmer is largely the merít of their mythical coach Károly Polló. In his difficult boyhood during the war, he excelled in table tennis and gymnastics. Arriving to Budapest in the aftermath of World War II, he studied painting at the Arts School, later law at Budapest University while working in a bank and playing waterpolo as member of the national team. He missed narrowly the London Olympic Games, mostly owing to existential problems. But, before all and over all, he enjoyed life, loving and being loved by women. He arrived in Esztergom in the fali of 1959, taking advantage of the fact that Esztergom hosted one of the seven indoor swimming pools of the country. The swimming team was mainly composed of youngsters, the most illustrous of whom were Péter Lázár and Miklós Szendrő, who later were called to the national team of Hungary (while others came to a larger junior pre-selection). In the winter of 1964, taking advantage of the temporary absence of Pollo on a trip abroad, the swimming team was suddenly dissolved under still unclear circumstances. This article, based on the available written sources, telis the rise and fali of the Esztergom swimming team in the early sixties. 283