Zoltán Melis

Zoltán Melis (11 September 1947 – 5 August 2026) was a Hungarian rower who competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics and in the 1972 Summer Olympics. A 33-time national champion, he often rowed alongside his brother Antal. Melis won a silver medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics in the coxless four event. After his competitive career, he worked as a coach and had stints leading the national teams of Hungary and Egypt.

Early life Melis was born in Pestszenterzsébet, Budapest, Hungary, on 11 September 1947. He was the brother of Antal Melis, who later was his teammate at the Olympics. He and his brother grew up competing in sports, including wrestling. Melis became a swimmer, being a member of the club Bp. Spartacus, but was not very successful in the sport. The coach was involved in rowing, not kayaking, leading to them becoming rowers. Two years later, he won a national youth championship, at age 16. Melis, in his career, won a total of 33 senior national titles before his retirement in 1980. The team of László Lucsánszky, József Csermely, György Sarlós, and Csaba Czakó, after placing fourth at the World Championships and medalling at the European Championships, was expected to be named the team for the 1968 Summer Olympics. He later said that, "This team proved to be lucky because me and [Antal] are more technical rowers, while Sarlós and Csermely are clearly power rowers. The weight distribution was also favorable, because they are five or six kilos heavier than us in the middle". Melis said that by the time there were only 1,750 metres until the finish, "I neither saw nor heard, I just pulled, pulled, pulled," stating, "I came to my senses again in the medical room. The organizers were stomping around me nervously, because the results announcement was about to begin. As soon as I came to my senses, they stood me up and helped me onto the podium. There I met the others, who were in a similar state. We just stood there on the podium, dazed, tired, hardly realizing that we had become Olympic silver medalists." He continued to compete with the national team through 1979, and retired from competitive rowing in 1980. He trained the Hungarian teams that competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics and the 1992 Summer Olympics, and during his stint as coach of the national team, Katalin Sarlós won a bronze medal at the World Championships.

Two years later, Melis became the head coach of the national team in Egypt, a country with much less experience in rowing. He afterwards returned to coaching at Csepel SC. He worked as coach of the U16 team until retiring in 2016.

Melis married Évával Molnár, also a rower, and had two children with her; she predeceased him in 2014. He was the brother-in-law of Olympians Kamilla Kosztolányi and József Csermely. He died in August 2026, at the age of 78. Following his death, the Hungarian Rowing Association said, "Zoltán Melis was not only an exceptional competitor, but also a professional and role model who dedicated his entire life to Hungarian rowing. His achievements, knowledge and humanity left a lasting mark on the history of our sport."