Great performances by Canadian Hungarians in sports

June 21,  2010

By Randy Ray

Canadian athletes and coaches with ties to Hungary continue to make a name for themselves in and on the water.

In recent weeks, men and women from various parts of Canada that were either born in Hungary or whose relatives hail from there, have excelled at water polo and rowing and on the canoe and kayak circuit.

In late April, the Canadian women’s water polo team struck gold at the Kirishi Cup in Russian by defeating Russia 10-9 in the final game to finish the tournament with a 4-0 record. Calgarian Emily Csikos led the Canadian attack with three goals against the third-ranked Russians. Csikos is the daughter of John Csikos of Calgary, who coached the national water polo team from 1996 to 2004 and who now coaches at the club level in Calgary. Several of John and Emily’s relatives were born in Budapest and the surrounding area.

In addition to playing for Canada, Emily plays for the University of California in the National Collegiate Athletic Association where, as a sophomore, she is the team’s leading scorer. She also continues to play Club Nationals for the Calgary Renegades.

Oakville, Ont. paddler Adam van Koverden on May 28 won the gold medal in the K-1 500 metres and silver in the K-1 1,000 metres, to help Canada to a seven-medal day at a World Cup paddling competition in Szeged, Hungary. In June at World Cup #3 in Duisburg, Germany, he placed second in the K-1 1,000 metres and fourth in the K-1 500 metres. The three-time Olympic medallist’s mother was born in Hungary.

Also at the World Cup #3 in Duisburg, Mylanie Barré, who was born in Budapest but raised in Lac Beauport, Que., placed third in the K-2 500 metre B final and seventh in the K-2 200 metres.

Both of Barré’s parents competed in kayak at past Olympic Games and her mother Alexandra won two medals at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles for Hungary. Alexandra represented Hungary in the 1975 Junior World Championships and won two bronze medals. The following year Alexandra was named to the Hungarian Olympic Team and was the first junior to ever be named to Olympic Team.

The men’s national canoe team is coached by Tamas Buday of Mississauga, a native of Budapest who won two bronze medals in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal racing for Hungary. His son Tamas Buday, Jr. of Montreal was a long-time member of Canada’s national canoe-kayak team and a three-time Olympian who won three silver medals at the world canoe-kayak championships in 2002, 2003 and 2006.

Another Hungarian involved in kayak coaching is Laszlo Latorowski of Halifax. He coached the women’s national kayak team for six years and is now national canoe development coach for men under 23. Latorowski is from Vac, Hungary.

On May 31 in Bled, Slovenia, Canadian rowing crews collected to a pair of gold medals plus a bronze Sunday at the first World Cup of the rowing season. Among the winners was Doug Vandor of Dewittville, Que.(left in the photo), who with partner Cam Sylvester (right)won the lightweight double sculls event.

Vandor’s father’s family is from Budapest and his Hungarian grandmother lives in Montreal.

Meanwhile, two Canadians are playing water polo in Hungary. Aaron Feltham of Lindsay, Ont. and who has also lived in Calgary and Ottawa, and Kevin Graham of Regina, are members of Brendon ZF UPC Eger in the first division in Hungary. Feltham recently completed his second year with Eger and Graham his first. The team finished second for the second consecutive year in the Hungarian championship. Feltham has a grandparent who is Hungarian.

Aaron Feltham photo on the left with Kevin Graham photo on the right. Canadian Team has the white caps.