Ildikó Újlaky-Rejtő


Ildikó Újlaky-Rejtő is a retired Hungarian Olympic champion and world champion foil fencer.

Early and personal life

She was born in Budapest, Hungary, and is Jewish. She was born deaf.

Career highlights

Because she was deaf, when she started fencing at age 15 she learned by reading written instructions from her coaches.
She won the junior girls world foil championship in 1956–57, and was the Hungarian women's foil champion in 1958. She was the Hungarian Sportswoman of the Year in 1963 and 1964.
She represented Hungary in every Olympics from 1960 to 1976 and won seven Olympic medals, two gold, three silver, and two bronze. At the 1960 Olympics in Rome at the age of 23, she won a team silver medal in women's foil. At the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo at the age of 27, she won both an individual and a team gold medal in women's foil. At the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City at the age of 31, she won an individual bronze medal and a team silver medal in women's foil. At the 1972 Olympics in Munich at the age of 35, she won a team silver medal in women's foil. At the 1976 Olympics in Montreal at the age of 39, she won a team bronze medal in women's foil.
She won the 1963 individual foil World Fencing Championships title, and the 1962, 1967, and 1973 team foil World Championships titles.
As a senior, she won the women's foil competition at the World Veterans Championships in 1999.
Újlaky-Rejtő was inducted as a member of the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.