At age 21, Ervin Zádor represented Hungary at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. He played four matches and scored five goals.
The Soviet Union and Hungary water polo teams met in the semifinals at the Olympics. Because of the Soviet Union's invasion of Hungary a month earlier and the resulting tension between the teams, the game was expected to be very physical. In a match marred by many penalties on both sides, Zádor scored twice as Hungary took a 4-0 lead. Late in the game, Valentin Prokopov struck Zádor in the face, opening a cut under his right eye. Zádor's injury and multiple other combats resulted in it being known as the "Blood In The Water" game. The match was stopped in the final minute to quell fighting among spectators, many of them from Melbourne's large Hungarian community, who were furious over the Russian invasion of their homeland.[4]
Zádor was shown emerging from the water with blood pouring down his face in a news photo published around the world. He later commented "All I could think about is, 'Could I play the next match?'."[5] Zádor's injury kept him out of the Olympic final, but his team won the Olympic gold medal with a 2-1 victory over Yugoslavia.
In April 2006, a documentary called Freedom's Fury premiered, with Lucy Liu and Quentin Tarantino listed as executive producers. It depicts the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and climaxes with the water polo battle between Hungary and the Soviet Union. The documentary follows Ervin Zádor, who is portrayed as the unwitting focal point of the politicized match. In a 2006 interview, Zádor said the Hungarian strategy was to anger the Russian team and cause them to make errors.[6] U.S. Olympic swimmer Mark Spitz, who narrates "Freedom's Fury", was coached by Ervin Zádor.[7]
Personal lifeedit
Born in Budapest, Zádor refused to return to his Soviet-occupied country after the Olympic Games and became a political refugee. He settled in Linden, California. He died on April 28, 2012. Two of his children continue to coach waterpolo in Ripon, California.
ervin, zádor, native, form, this, personal, name, zádor, ervin, this, article, uses, western, name, order, when, mentioning, individuals, june, 1934, april, 2012, hungarian, water, polo, player, member, hungarian, national, team, medal, recordmen, water, polor. The native form of this personal name is Zador Ervin This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals Ervin Zador 7 June 1934 28 April 2012 1 2 3 was a Hungarian water polo player and member of the Hungarian national team Ervin Zador Medal recordMen s Water poloRepresenting HungaryOlympic Games1956 Melbourne Team competition Contents 1 Career 2 Personal life 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksCareer editAt age 21 Ervin Zador represented Hungary at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne He played four matches and scored five goals The Soviet Union and Hungary water polo teams met in the semifinals at the Olympics Because of the Soviet Union s invasion of Hungary a month earlier and the resulting tension between the teams the game was expected to be very physical In a match marred by many penalties on both sides Zador scored twice as Hungary took a 4 0 lead Late in the game Valentin Prokopov struck Zador in the face opening a cut under his right eye Zador s injury and multiple other combats resulted in it being known as the Blood In The Water game The match was stopped in the final minute to quell fighting among spectators many of them from Melbourne s large Hungarian community who were furious over the Russian invasion of their homeland 4 Zador was shown emerging from the water with blood pouring down his face in a news photo published around the world He later commented All I could think about is Could I play the next match 5 Zador s injury kept him out of the Olympic final but his team won the Olympic gold medal with a 2 1 victory over Yugoslavia In April 2006 a documentary called Freedom s Fury premiered with Lucy Liu and Quentin Tarantino listed as executive producers It depicts the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and climaxes with the water polo battle between Hungary and the Soviet Union The documentary follows Ervin Zador who is portrayed as the unwitting focal point of the politicized match In a 2006 interview Zador said the Hungarian strategy was to anger the Russian team and cause them to make errors 6 U S Olympic swimmer Mark Spitz who narrates Freedom s Fury was coached by Ervin Zador 7 Personal life editBorn in Budapest Zador refused to return to his Soviet occupied country after the Olympic Games and became a political refugee He settled in Linden California He died on April 28 2012 Two of his children continue to coach waterpolo in Ripon California See also editHungary men s Olympic water polo team records and statistics List of Olympic champions in men s water polo List of Olympic medalists in water polo men Blood in the Water matchReferences edit Elhunyt Zador Ervin olimpiai bajnok vizilabdazo Retrieved April 30 2012 Elhunyt Zador Ervin Archived from the original on November 26 2016 Retrieved April 30 2012 Famed swimming coach Zador dies Retrieved October 27 2016 Simon Burnton December 28 2011 50 stunning Olympic moments No7 Hungary v Soviet Union blood in the water The Guardian Schwartz Larry October 28 2006 The day the Cold War came to the Olympics The Age Australia Retrieved 2006 12 17 Mike Rowbottom 2006 12 02 Ervin Zador Blood in the water interview The Independent Archived from the original on 2018 01 03 Retrieved 2007 12 24 Radio Free Europe Hungary New Film Revisits 1956 Water Polo Showdown Retrieved 13 September 2006External links editErvin Zador at Olympics com nbsp Ervin Zador at Olympedia nbsp Ervin Zador at the Hungarian Olympic Committee in Hungarian nbsp Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ervin Zador amp oldid 1213797591, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
