Ján Zachara (; 27 August 1928 – 2 January 2025) was a Slovak

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: *Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing * Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

. Representing

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

, he won the gold medal in the

featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, ...

division at the

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics (, ), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad (, ) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952, were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1952 in Helsinki, Finland. After Japan declared in ...

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

. Zachara also competed in 1956, losing in a quarterfinal to Pentti Hämäläinen of Finland on points.

Biography

Zachara was born on 27 August 1928 in the village of Kubrá, which is now a part of the city of

Trenčín Trenčín (, also known by other #Names and etymology, alternative names) is a List of towns in Slovakia, city in western Slovakia of the central Váh River valley near the Czech Republic, Czech border, around from Bratislava. It has a populati ...

, in a family of factory workers. He started boxing at the age of 15 while appenticing as a mechanic. Due to his small body size, he was often ridiculed by other boxers in his youth. In 1946 he became the champion of Slovakia in boxing. Nonetheless, he was not allowed to compete at the 1948 Olympics, because another boxer, who was a Communist party member, was given preference. Nonetheless, Zachara got his revenge at the

, where he won a gold medal after defeating Sergio Caprari in the finals, despite being considered an underdog. At the subsequent

1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XVI Olympiad and officially branded as Melbourne 1956, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, he was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Pentti Hämäläinen. After ending active boxing career, he settled in

Dubnica nad Váhom Dubnica nad Váhom (; Slovak before 1927: ''Dubnica'', , , before 1899 ''Dubnic(z)'') is a town in the Ilava District, Trenčín Region in Slovakia. Geography It is located on the Váh river, in the Ilava Basin, between the White Carpathians and ...

, where he trained young boxers before retiring from the sport. Zachara died on 2 January 2025, at the age of 96. At the time of death he was the oldest living Olympic champion from Slovakia.

1952 Olympic results

*Defeated

Åke Wärnström Åke Wärnström (29 December 1925 – 6 June 2018) was a Swedish boxer who competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics (, ), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad (, ) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952, were an ...

(Sweden) 3–0 *Defeated Su Bung-Nan (South Korea) 3–0 *Defeated

János Erdei János Erdei (2 November 1919 – 10 January 1997) was a Hungarian boxer. He competed in the men's featherweight event at the 1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics (, ), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad (, ) an ...

(Hungary) 2–1 *Defeated Leonard Leisching (South Africa) 2–1 *Defeated Sergio Caprari (Italy) 2–1

References

External links

* * * 1928 births 2025 deaths Sportspeople from Trenčín Czechoslovak male boxers Featherweight boxers Boxers at the 1952 Summer Olympics Boxers at the 1956 Summer Olympics Olympic boxers for Czechoslovakia Olympic gold medalists for Czechoslovakia Olympic medalists in boxing Slovak male boxers Medalists at the 1952 Summer Olympics {{Slovakia-boxing-bio-stub