László Tábori facts for kids
László Tábori (born July 6, 1931 – died May 23, 2018) was a famous runner from Hungary. He was great at both middle-distance and long-distance races. He is best known for matching a world record in the 1500-meter race. He also finished 4th in that race at the 1956 Summer Olympics.
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László Tábori's Early Running Career
László Tábori was born in Košice. He started running when he was young. His serious training began in the early 1950s. He worked with Mihály Iglói, a very famous coach. Iglói coached Tábori at the Honvéd Budapest club.
Tábori was part of Hungarian relay teams that broke world records in 1953 and 1954. These were for the 4 x 1500 meters relay race. He became very famous in 1955. This was alongside other great runners coached by Iglói, like Sándor Iharos and István Rózsavölgyi.
On May 28, 1955, Tábori achieved something amazing. He became only the third person ever to run a four-minute mile. His time was 3 minutes and 59.0 seconds. He beat other top runners like Chris Chataway and Brian Hewson. For over 20 years, he and Rózsavölgyi were the only Hungarians to achieve this feat. On September 6, 1955, he matched the 1500 metres world record. He ran it in 3 minutes and 40.8 seconds.
The 1956 Melbourne Olympics
The 1956 Melbourne Olympics were a difficult time for the Hungarian team. The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 had just happened. This event caused a lot of sadness and worry for the athletes.
Because of the revolution, Sándor Iharos could not compete. István Rózsavölgyi also had a tough time. He surprisingly did not make it past the first races in the 1500 meters. Tábori performed much better. Many expected him to win a medal. He finished a very good 4th place in the 1500 metres. He also placed 6th in the 5000 metres race.
After the Olympics, Tábori made a big decision. He decided to move to the West with his coach, Mihály Iglói. He soon went to the United States. He settled in California, where he lived for the rest of his life.
Becoming a Coach
Tábori returned to running, but this time as a coach. This was in 1967. His coaching methods were based on what he learned from Iglói. He coached the team at Los Angeles Valley College. They won three state championships. He also coached the San Fernando Valley Track Club starting in 1973.
He strongly believed in a training method called interval training. Two of his most famous students were Jacqueline Hansen and Miki Gorman. Both of them set world records in the marathon. He also coached at the University of Southern California. One of his students there was Duane Solomon.
Later Life
László Tábori passed away on May 23, 2018. He was 86 years old. He died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
