Róbert Zimonyi
Róbert Zimonyi (April 18, 1918 – February 2, 2004) was a rowing coxswain who was born in Hungary and later became an American citizen. He competed for Hungary in the 1948 and 1952 Olympics, winning a bronze medal in the coxed pair in 1948. He moved to the United States after the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and became a U.S. citizen in 1962. He stood 170 cm tall and weighed 52 kg.
For the United States, Zimonyi won an Olympic gold medal in the eight at the 1964 Tokyo Games. He also earned a European bronze in 1965 in the eight, and won gold at the 1967 Pan American Games in the coxed four. He left competitive rowing in the late 1960s and did not become a coach.
Outside of rowing, Zimonyi trained as an accountant. After moving to the United States, he worked at a brick company owned by fellow rower John B. Kelly Sr. In 1963 he became an accountant at Sandmeyer Steel and stayed there until he retired in 1983. He had a sister in Hungary and later moved to Florida for health reasons with his partner Isabel Gressner. Róbert Zimonyi passed away in Miami, Florida, in 2004 at the age of 85. He rowed for clubs including Duna Budapesti-i Evezős Egylet, Budapesti Kinizsi, and the Vesper Boat Club.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 08:09 (CET).