Former Slovak boxer and Olympic champion Ján Zachara, who became a gold medalist at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki, died at the age of 96. Zachara was the oldest living Olympic champion from Slovakia.
The death of the sports great also affected many famous faces, who sent him a message to heaven. Among them was former professional tennis player Dominika Cibulková (35), as well as well-known presenter Iveta Malachovská (59). “A great person with an even bigger heart for sports and life as such. Thank you. It was an honor for us. An honor for his memory. It was an honor for us to help this great man from our foundation,” wrote Dominika’s sad words on the social network.
Malachovská shared a photo with Mr. Zachar with her followers on the social network. “Our Olympic champion in boxing from Helsinki 1952 left us today at the age of 96. An exceptional person. Honor to his memory,” said the moderator. You can find their joint photo in the gallery.
Due to his thin figure, Ján Zachara was often the target of ridicule, but he gradually gained the respect of his opponents. In 1946, he won the title of champion of Slovakia in the category up to 57 kg. In the same year, he wore the Czechoslovak national team jersey at the All-Slavic Championships in Prague. He also started at the Olympic Games in Melbourne in 1956, where he made it to the quarterfinals. He also represented the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (CSSR) at the European Championships in 1949, 1955 and 1959. Zachara is a two-time champion of Slovakia and also won four Czechoslovak champion titles.
