Tibor Gécsek

Tibor Gécsek ( born September 22, 1964 in Szentgotthárd ) is a retired Hungarian athlete who belonged from 1987 to 2002 to the world class. The European Champion title in 1998 in the hammer throw was his greatest success.

Career to 1995

After a third place finish at the Hungarian State Championships 1985 he became the first Hungarian championship in 1986. Until 1994 he was Hungarian champion each year, 1999 and 2001 were followed by the championship title ten and eleven.

Making his first appearance in major international championships had Gécsek at the 1987 World Championships in Rome, with 77.56 meters he finished seventh. A year later at the 1988 Olympics, he threw 78.36 meters and placed himself in sixth place.

At the European Championships in 1990 in Split he threw 80.14 meters with four feet shorter than the winner Ihar Astapkowitsch, but won silver with 12 inches ahead of the second representative of the Soviet Union Igor Nikulin. At the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo, he managed a throw of 78.98 m, so that he finished fourth behind Yuri Sedych, Ihar Astapkowitsch and Heinz Weis. Also Gécsek Fourth was the following year. During the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona With 77.78 meters he was but about four feet behind the three representatives of the CIS Andrei Abduwalijew, Astapkowitsch and Nikulin.

With the dissolution of the Soviet Union occurred in 1993 more thrower from the Soviet hammer throw school in international competitions on, still followed for Gécsek very successful years. At the World Championships in Stuttgart in 1993 were placed on the first seven places six cannons from the old Soviet Union. It won Abduwalijew for Tajikistan ago Astapkowitsch for Belarus, Gécsek pushed with 79.54 meters between the former teammates and won bronze. With the size of Stuttgart Gécsek would have won also at the European Championships in Helsinki in 1994 bronze, behind the Russian Vasily Sidorenko and Astapkowitsch. But Heinz Weis and Igor Nikulin placed in front of the Hungarians, who was fifth with 77.62 meters. At the 1995 World Championships in Gothenburg was repeated at least from the names fro the result of Stuttgart 1993: It won Abduwalijew before Astapkowitsch and Gécsek, the approach fell out with 80.98 meters to seventy centimeters to his Hungarian record of 1988.

On August 30, 1995 Gécsek tested positive in a doping test in Berlin. For 1996, he was blocked for a period of four years. Since the IAAF 1997, the four-year rule barring shortened to two years, Gécsek could start again in September 1997.

Career from 1997

After him in 1997 with 77.00 m was only a moderate length, he increased his 1998 Hungarian record three times, most recently at 83.68 m. The first record he succeeded in improving Népstadion in the finals of the European Championships 1998 in Budapest. With 82.87 meters he won in front of the Hungarian public gold ahead of compatriot Balázs Kiss and the German Karsten Kobs. The extent to which the balance of power in the hammer throw had changed, demonstrates the fact that among the top eight in Budapest was only a hammer thrower from the former Soviet Union: The indestructible Astapkowitsch was again seventh. His rank as the strongest throwers of the season underpinned Gécsek with a victory at the IAAF World Cup in Johannesburg.

At the 1999 World Championships in Seville Karsten Kobs was the only 80 meter thrower. Gécsek had indeed completed four 80 -meter competitions in advance, in Seville, he missed with 78,95 m Silver and Bronze at ten to eight inches. Best Ungar was in second place Zsolt Németh. In the Olympic final in Sydney in 2000 Gécsek was strongest Hungarian again, but finished with 77,70 m only seventh. At the 2001 World Championships in Edmonton reached with Balázs Kiss, Gécsek and Adrián Annus three Hungary in the final. Kiss in sixth place, with Gécsek 79.34 m in eighth and ninth place Annus but could not manage to throw at the medals themselves. His last final placement succeeded Gécsek at the European Championships in Munich in 2002, where he finished sixth with 79.25 m; European champion Adrián Annus.

General

Gécsek is of Slovenian descent. His parents were born in Rábatótfalu at Szentgotthárd, ( German: Windischdorf, Slovenian: Slovenska ves ), a Slovenian village in Hungary. The name Gyécsek is relatively common among the Slovenes.

As an athlete Gécsek entered for the club Dobo SE in Szombathely. In addition to his career, the Hammer Throw 1.85 m wide and with his competition weight of 107 kg pretty fast vigorous athlete approached in Rasenkraftsport.

The trained mechanics made ​​later be entrepreneurs. On November 10, 2002, he was elected Vice President of the Hungarian Association of Athletics Federations.