On April 11, 1896, Alfréd Hajós became the first Olympic swimming champion in history and the first Hungarian Olympic Gold Medallist when he won two gold medals at the Olympic Games in Athens, in the 100 and 1200 meter freestyle race (*).

By winning the top Architecture prize at the Olympic Art Competitions in July 1924, Paris, Alfréd Hajós became the only person in history to win top Olympic awards in both athletic and art competitions (*).

Alfréd began swimming at age 13 after his father drowned in the Danube River. Prior to his Olympic victories, Hajós won the 100-meter freestyle Hungarian National and European Championships - in 1895 and 1896.

In 1896, Hajós was an architecture student in Budapest when the Games took place in Athens. Swimming events were held at Zea Bay, Piraeus - Athens, in the Mediterranean Sea.

Swimmers had to battle the elements as much as each other. 18-year old Hajós won his two gold medals in extremely cold weather (the water temperature was about 50 degrees Fahrenheit) with 12-foot waves crashing down on him.

Alfréd Hajós was an all-around athlete who also competed nationally in track and field and soccer. Hajós won Hungary's 100-meter sprint championship (in track), as well as the national 400-meter hurdles and discus titles. Alfréd also played on Hungary's national soccer championship teams in 1901, 1902, 1903.

A successful architect who designed and renovated many outstanding buildings and sports facilities around Hungary, Hajós won a silver medal (top honours) in the Olympic Art Competitions, at the 1924 Games in Paris, with a grand, architectural design submitted jointly with fellow Olympian and architect, Dezső Lauber [Dezso Lauber].

In 1930, Hajós designed and built the magnificent National Swimming Hall on Budapest's Margaret Island (today called Hajós Alfréd National Swimming Hall). He became an innovative architect, who built many sporting facilities, hotels, hospitals, schools, private villas and continued to play an active role in his country's social life. In 1953, the International Olympic Committee [IOC] awarded him its highest distinction of honour, the Olympic Diploma. Alfréd Hajós survived the terror of the Second World War and worked actively as an architect until the end of his life.