Ferdinand Daniš

Ferdinand Daniš (born 7 January 1929) is a Slovak gymnast. He competed at the 1952 Summer Olympics, the 1956 Summer Olympics and the 1960 Summer Olympics.

Biography Ferdinand Daniš was born on 7 January 1929 in a small village of Opatová, which was in 1966 incorporated in the nearby town of Lučenec. He was the second youngest of six sons. His father, Daniel, was a locksmith. His mother Ema (née Molnár) was of Hungarian descent. The family spoke Hungarian language at home. Soon after Ferdinand's birth, the family was moved to the Moravian town of Frýdlant nad Ostravicí, where young Ferdinand started training with the local branch of Sokol.

During the World War II, Daniš worked in a munitions factory. After the war, he followed his father's footsteps and aprenticed as a locksmith. However, he never practiced the craft as already in 1947, when he was aged 18, he became a part of the Czechoslovak national gymnastics team. In 1948, he won the national championship in floor excercie. In 1950, he began military service, eventually being transferred to the Army Athletic Club (ATK, later known as Dukla Prague) in 1951 after winning several army championships. He became the national champion in artistic gymnastics in the autumn of 1951.

Following his retirement, he studied to be a gymnastics coach at the Charles University in Prague and later coach the Dukla Prague Team. In 1974, he became the coach of the elite Slovak army team Dukla Banská Bystrica and assistent coach for the Czechoslovak national team. He continued coaching well into his senior years, ending his active training career at SK Hradčany Prague at the age of 80.

During his active sports career era, he was repeatedly approached by the StB to act as an informant during international competitions, but he consistently refused.

Personal life As of 2024, Daniš and his wife resided in Prague.