MOB: Luca Kozák was also awarded a fair play award
Much less is said in sports in the shadow of results about human expressions, when the desire for success is overridden by empathy. The Hungarian Olympic Committee does not forget about sportsmanlike actions and life paths, it presented its fair play awards for the 55th time.
Although the main hall of the Városliget Ice Rink in itself lent an impressive sight to the fair play gala organized by the Hungarian Olympic Committee on Tuesday evening, the crowd circling the ice skates from the window made the event even more festive. And not only the frame, but also the content was special, as Olympic champions, legends and hopes of the future took their place at the round tables.
László Fábián, Secretary General of the MOB, Deputy Mayor Anett Bősz and Jenő Kamuti, President of the International Fair Play Committee, gave an open welcome speech, and then the fair play diplomas were presented. Krisztina Regőczy, Olympic silver medalist and world champion ice dancer, received the Fair Play Lifetime Achievement Trophy, and Mihály Hesz, Olympic and world champion kayaker, also received this recognition.
One of the best-known scenes is attributed to Luca Kozák, who fell in the semi-finals of the 100-meter hurdles at the Tokyo Olympics, and his Jamaican competitor made a mistake at the same time, so two broken competitors stood between the hurdles when the field had already crossed the finish line. The Hungarian athlete, struggling with tears, still had enough empathy to offer her hand to Yanique Thompson and leave the running circle together.
“Honestly, I thought the Jamaican girl was worse off, we were both devastated, but that’s the way sport is. It was completely instinctive that I approached him, and I hope that I was able to set an example, if only for a few smaller athletes. It was great to hear how many beautiful stories there are – athletes, coaches, fans represent what is the essence of all this”– said Luca Kozák to Nemzeti Sport, adding that he is a little confused about time, since the year lasts from September to September, and the home world championship is already on his mind.