Full name Valeria Gyenge-Garay Role Olympic athlete Nationality Hungary Spouse Janos Garai | Name Valeria Gyenge Children Soo Garay | |
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Club Budapesti Lokomotiv Sport ClubBudapesti Torekves SK Similar People Eva Novak‑Gerard, Evelyn Kawamoto, Soo Garay, David Hewlett |
Valéria Gyenge (born 3 April 1933) is a Hungarian swimmer who won the 400 m freestyle event at the 1952 Summer Olympics. She remained a leader in this event until 1956, but finished in a disappointing eighth place at the 1956 Olympics. In 1978, she was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
Family
Gyenge was a daughter-in-law of János Garay, a 1928 Olympic fencing champion who died in a German concentration camp in 1945. Her brother-in-law Juan Garay competed in swimming at the 1948 Olympics, and her sisters Judy and Suzy were also swimmers. After 1956 Olympics Gyenge moved to Canada, together with her fiancé and future husband János Garai, a water polo player. In Canada she swam for the EMAC Club in Toronto for a few months and then coached swimming for three years before becoming a famous photographer. Her daughter Soo Garay became an actress.
