Four-time Summer Olympics competitor András Törő’s medal, pins, photos and other memorabilia will be on display in the glass case of the Orinda Library Art Gallery this month. Törő’s autobiography, “Chronicles of an Olympic Defector,” was published in 2020 and he also authored “Canoeing: An Olympic Sport” in 1986.
Former Olympian András Törő’s long-standing passion for canoe paddling has followed him throughout his life, influencing the trajectory of his path in many ways. He believes that canoeing is what he is meant to do.
“This is my mission in life, to perfect this sport, and teach it and become proficient in it,” said Törő, “And do the best I can and reach the best results I can.”
Törő’s medal, pins, ties and other personal memorabilia will be on display at the Orinda Library Art Gallery throughout August, with a reception on Saturday, Aug. 3 from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.
The Hungarian-born athlete’s first venture into organized sports was in 1953, through the country’s unique sports club system. Although Törő showed aptitude in other sports, upon the suggestion of his elder brother Lajos, he joined the Honvéd Army Sport Club’s canoeing division at the age of 13.
From 1954 through 1959, Törő was the Hungarian National Canoeing Champion several times in the Juvenile and Junior category. In 1956 Törő and his brother dominated the Junior National Championships, winning more gold medals than all the other clubs combined.
That same year saw the Hungarian revolution, with dissatisfaction with its Soviet government boiling over into the streets. Törő witnessed this fallout and discussed leaving the country with his teammates, but both he and Lajos were convinced by their parents to stay.
After graduating high school in 1958, Törő took a job at a factory but was granted paid leave for training. In the summer of 1960, Törő was invited to be on the Hungarian Olympic delegation for the XVII Summer Olympic Games in Rome. As a part of the canoeing team, he won a bronze medal in the Canadian Double (C2) 1,000-meter event.
The 1960s saw Törő winning national championships, international regattas and other events, however, his path took a detour when he got drafted by the Hungarian Army in October of 1963 and was honorably discharged as a private after serving eight months.
Törő was once again on the path to the Olympics in 1964 as a member of the Hungarian canoeing team in the Canadian Single (C1) 1,000-meter event at the XVIII Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo. He finished in fourth place and then defected from his home country’s team.
He sought and was granted political asylum, arriving in the United States in October 1964. Although he was charged and sentenced by the Hungarian High Court for his actions, the sentence was commuted in 1982.
“Obviously, it wasn’t easy,” said Törő of his defection. “I knew that I was going to run into some hard times. I was lucky because I always associated with good people who helped me.”
Törő went on to study English at the University of Michigan English Language Institute, advancing to the University of Michigan Engineering School of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering Department in 1965. He received both a bachelor and master of science from the school.
Along with membership and competition in the Michigan Marathon Canoe Racing Association and the U.S. National Canoeing Team, leading to several Michigan State championship wins, and employment as a hydrodynamic lab research assistant for the university, Törő received his permanent residency green card in 1967.
“I think if you have a good work ethic, you can really make it out in the West,” he said, “Because people appreciate that indeed you are trying, and trying your best, and they come forward to help you out to do that.”
Törő’s participated in the Olympics in Germany in 1972, and in Montreal in 1976, advancing to the semi-finals in each competition.
Törő married his wife, Jane, in 1974, and purchased a home in El Cerrito. The couple welcomed daughter Katalin in 1978 and son Tamás in 1982. Sports are a family affair, with Jane becoming a member of the first UC Berkeley varsity rowing team in 1974, Katalin participating in swimming and soccer in high school and Tamás becoming a lightweight rowing crew captain at Yale.
Over the years Törő’s commitment to canoeing has led to continued involvement in the sport on multiple levels, including his role as coach for the U.S. canoeing team during the 1980 boycott of the XXII Summer Olympic Games in Moscow. He negotiated on behalf of the U.S. athletes to reverse the decision to boycott and wound up spending 12 years on the United States Olympic Committee, traveling the globe.
At 84, Törő now takes paddling trips with Jane four times a week in Berkeley’s Aquatic Park, and is focusing on Hawaiian-style canoeing, which uses outrigger canoes. The couple qualified for the world championship team for outrigger canoeing and will head to Hilo, Hawaii at the end of August.
“When you’re in the sport itself, you really don’t even think about it,” said Törő of his Olympic past. “But now, in the older days, when we get together with other athletes at the reunion, and we tell stories, I think it really has a little bit more meaning to it.”
