SZABO Matyas

Personal Information

Residence Cologne, GER

Occupation Athlete, Manager

Languages English, German, Hungarian

Higher education Media Studies - Fresenius University of Applied Sciences: Germany

License number 19081991000

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Sport Specific Information

When and where did you begin this sport? He began fencing at age four in Dormagen, Germany, and fenced his first tournament at age nine.

Why this sport? His parents were both fencers who represented Romania at the Olympic Games. "My father and my mother share a passion for fencing. They found each other through sports."

Club / Team TSV Bayer Dormagen: Germany

Name of coach Olaf Kawald [club]; Vilmos Szabo [national, father], ROU

Training Regime He trains for up to 30 hours a week in Dormagen, Germany.

Handedness Right

General Interest

Memorable sporting achievement Carrying the Olympic torch through the athlete village at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. (matyas-szabo.com, 01 Sep 2020)

Most influential person in career His parents. (matyas-szabo.com, 01 Sep 2020)

Hero / Idol German fencer Nicolas Limbach. (ksta.de, 21 Apr 2011)

Injuries In mid-2017 he suffered a minor back injury caused by improper lifting during training. (faz.net, 21 Jul 2017)

Superstitions / Rituals / Beliefs He keeps the deck of cards that he got his first royal flush with during a game of poker in his fencing bag. (deutsche-olympiamannschaft.de, 01 Sep 2016)

Sporting philosophy / motto "Fencing is my life, and although there are hardships and defeats to face up to, they are also the best moments of my life." (matyas-szabo.com, 01 Sep 2020)

Awards and honours He was part of the German men's national sabre team that won the 2023 Felix Award, an annual award given by North Rhine-Westphalia state in Germany for outstanding achievement in sport. (felix-award.nrw, 01 Jan 2024)

At the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro he was one of five athletes to carry the Olympic torch through the athlete village prior to the opening ceremony. (matyas-szabo.com, 01 Sep 2020; rp-online.de, 03 Aug 2016)

In 2011 he was named Junior Sportsperson of the Year by Deutsche Sporthilfe. (sporthilfe.de, 2012)

Famous relatives His mother Reka Szabo-Lazar represented Romania in fencing. She won team foil bronze and team foil silver at the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games, respectively. His father Vilmos also represented Romania in the sport, winning bronze in team sabre at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. He has also coached the German men's sabre team. (matyas-szabo.com, 01 Sep 2020; dosb.de, 25 Dec 2016; SportsDeskOnline, 02 Apr 2016; fechten.org, 11 Jun 2015; sporthilfe.de, 2012)

Ambitions To compete at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. (sport1.de, 26 Apr 2024; faz.net, 12 Dec 2023)

Other information OCCUPATION
He works as a climate action junior manager for a pharmaceutical company based in Leverkusen, Germany. "After completing the master's degree in international business management at the Fresenius University of Applied Sciences in Cologne, I quickly realised that I needed more than just sport." (LinkedIn profile, 03 May 2024; rp-online.de, 14 Dec 2023)

ARMED FORCES ATHLETE
He served as sports soldier with the Bundeswehr [German armed forces] between 2011 and 2022. (LinkedIn profile, 03 May 2024)

FROM ROMANIA TO GERMANY
He fenced for Romania until 2009, at which point he decided to join the German national team. (sporthilfe.de, 01 Sep 2012)

FAMOUS FATHER
His father Vilmos has served as a national coach for the German men's sabre team. He says his father is tough on him, but that they manage to keep their fencing and personal relationships separate. "As a rule, he scolds me, even when I win. He expects a lot from me. At home he is my father, but when we're training he is in charge." (faz.net, 17 Jul 2017; ksta.de, 21 Apr 2011)

OTHER ACTIVITIES
In September 2019 he and Max Hartung, a fellow TSV Bayer Dormagen and German national team fencer, launched 'Demaskiert' [Unmasked], a fencing podcast. In November 2020 they also organised their own fencing tournament, the Unmasked League, to raise money for Germany's Olympic and Paralympic squads. The event took place in Dusseldorf and was broadcast on streaming platform Twitch. (LinkedIn profile, 01 Dec 2022; demaskiert-podcast.de, 01 Sep 2020; rp-online.de, 13 Nov 2020)

FURTHER EDUCATION
After he graduated with a bachelor's degree in media studies at Fresenius University of Applied Sciences in 2017, he studied for a master's degree in international business management at the same university between 2020 and 2022. (LinkedIn profile, 06 Mar 2022)