Olympedia – Katalin Szőke
Biography
Katalin Szöke was the daughter of Márton Homonnai, who was wanted at the end of World War II for war crimes, but then fled to Argentina. Katalin Szöke reverted to her mother’s maiden name so she could be accepted on the Hungarian swim team, in order to compete at the Olympic Games in 1952 and 1956. In 1956 she emigrated to the USA as did many Hungarian athletes affected by the Soviet Union’s crushing of the Hungarian October Revolution. She married the water polo player Kálmán Markovits, but later divorced him, and then married his teammate, Arpad Domjan, who had been an alternate in 1956. They settled in the Los Angeles area of California. She worked at a bank but also did some modelling, while Domjan worked as a draftsman for an architect and later became a very successful businessman, developing office buildings and many apartment complexes. They anglicized their name to Domyan, had a son, Bryan, who played basketball at Southern Cal, and became devoted fans of the Los Angeles Opera. Katalin Szöke was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1985. As a swimmer, she won two European Championships in 1954 and set four world records.
Results
| Games | Discipline (Sport) / Event | NOC / Team | Pos | Medal | As | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 Summer Olympics | Swimming (Aquatics) |  HUN |
Katalin Szőke | |||
| 100 metres Freestyle, Women (Olympic) | 1 | Gold | ||||
| 4 × 100 metres Freestyle Relay, Women (Olympic) | Hungary | 1 | Gold | |||
| 1956 Summer Olympics | Swimming (Aquatics) | HUN |
Katalin Szőke | |||
| 100 metres Freestyle, Women (Olympic) | 17 | |||||
| 4 × 100 metres Freestyle Relay, Women (Olympic) | Hungary | 7 |
Olympic family relations
- Niece of Lajos Homonnai
- Daughter of Márton Homonnai
- Wife (divorced) of Kálmán Markovits
- Wife of Árpád Domján
Special Notes
- Listed in Olympians Who Set a European Record in Long Course Swimming (4×100 m freestyle relay – 27 April 1952 - 22 March 1957: 4:27.2 (27 April 1952; Moskva, URS), 4:24.4 (1 August 1952; Helsinki, FIN); 4×100 m medley relay – 3 August 1954 - 16 August 1954 and 3 September 1955 - 19 November 1956: 5:07.8 (3 August 1954; Budapest, HUN), 4:57.8 (3 September 1955; Budapest, HUN))
- Listed in Olympians Who Set a World Record in Long Course Swimming (4×100 m freestyle relay – 27 April 1952 - 20 October 1956: 4:27.2 (27 April 1952; Moskva, URS), 4:24.4 (1 August 1952; Helsinki, FIN); 4×100 m medley relay – 3 August 1954 - 16 August 1954 and 3 September 1955 - 19 November 1956: 5:07.8 (3 August 1954; Budapest, HUN), 4:57.8 (3 September 1955; Budapest, HUN))
- Listed in Olympians Who Won a Medal at the European Aquatics Championships (2–0–0 1954 Torino SWM gold: 100 m freestyle and 4×100 m freestyle relay)
- Listed in Olympic Games Defectors (Did not return to Hungary after 1956 Olympics, settling in the US.)