Gyula Kakas

Gyula Kakas (28 March 1875 – 25 February 1928) was a Hungarian sportsman. From Budapest, he was one of the best gymnasts in his country during his career and also competed in several other sports, setting the unofficial national pole vault record and playing football for the national championship-winning Budapesti TC (BTC) in 1902. Kakas competed in gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics, the 1900 Summer Olympics, and the 1906 Intercalated Games. Kakas was also selected for the 1896 Summer Olympics in athletics, though he did not start in those events. He won many national gymnastics championships and also served as a judge and an official for BTC and Ferencvárosi Vasutasok Sportköre, a club which he founded. After his death at age 52 from a pulmonary hemorrhage, the club he founded organized a competition named after him.

Biography Kakas was born on 28 March 1875 in Budapest, Kingdom of Hungary. He was a member of the club MTK Budapest, which he joined in 1893, and was a multi-sport athlete growing up: he competed in gymnastics, athletics, cycling, and football, also picking up tennis in later years.

In 1894, Kakas won the Hódmezővásárhely gymnastics tournament, defeating others including Menotti Réthy, Béla Szöghy and Dávid Müller. The defeat of perennial champion Müller by Kakas, "a small, girlish-faced boy", was considered a surprise. He won many tournaments in subsequent years; He was sent despite some criticizing his size as "not representing Hungarian strength"; nevertheless at the Olympics, where he competed in the parallel bars, horizontal bar, vault, and pommel horse individual events, he performed well, according to swimming gold medalist Alfréd Hajós, although he did not win a medal. He won the championships of Sombor and Subotica in 1897, of Budapest in 1898, and placed second at the 1899 Bratislava tournament. He also went on to make one first-team appearance for the club in 1902, a year they won the national championship. In 1900, he won the Sopron gymnastics tournament and was sent to compete at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. Kakas later competed at the 1906 Intercalated Games, finishing 23rd in the individual all-around while helping the Hungarian team place sixth. He also won the 1906 Budapest gymnastics tournament. Five years later, he competed at the 1911 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Turin, Italy. During his career, he also won tournaments in other sports including running, jumping, pole vaulting, walking, cycling, badminton and tennis.

Between 1902 and 1905, Kakas was the athletics manager for BTC. He also served as the foreman for BTC and on their executive committee. Following World War I, he was active in the Hungarian Gymnasts Association and served as a gymnastics judge. He worked for many major Hungarian tournaments and according to Magyar Torna, "His judgements were professional, objective, and never offended anyone". In 1919, Kakas founded the Ferencvárosi Vasutasok Sportköre, serving as their president and director until his death. Kakas died on 25 February 1928 in Budapest from a pulmonary hemorrhage, at the age of 52. After his death, the club he founded organized a gymnastics competition named after him, awarding the winners with the Gyula Kokas prize – a "bronze vase in ancient Greek style, with an accompanying stylized wooden stand", designed by two of his friends who were sculptors.