He is a well-built, bearded, 24-year-old young man from Nyíregyháza, whose appearance is authoritative and confident. We can be sure that if he gets into the throwing game, he'll either be another top, or at least a podium finish. We talked to Balazs Tóth, weightlifter athlete of the Nyíregyháza Sports Centre.
Ever since he was a child, Balázs had been thinking about sport and decided to become an athlete. Football was the sport closest to his heart at primary school, but he soon realised that his physique and mentality would not allow him to develop much in that area. He also tried martial arts, but he didn't really feel at home when he tried it. He got into the world of athletics by chance when his then PE teacher, Norbert Harcsa, entered him for a student Olympic team championship on the old NYVSC track, now the Nyíregyháza Athletics Centre. It all fitted together: individual sport, self-reliance, character, mentality - everything was perfect for Balázs. He ended up staying here, much to our delight. At first, his main event was discus throwing, which he loved, but in the junior age group he started competing in weight throw. It was then that he felt sure that this was the path that was destined for him.
Weightlifters are very tall - a fact she discovered at her first international competition in 2019, at the European Junior Championships, where her throw of 17.76 metres got her to. He was expecting to meet people like him, but since then, wherever he goes, at home and abroad, Balázs has been at the bottom of the "tournament rankings". But only there, because as a multiple Hungarian champion, he can also hold his own in international competitions, including the World Athletics Championships in Budapest in 2023. In Hungary, he and his athletic partner László Kovács will be chasing each other on the podium. They are sporting friends, supporting and following each other's achievements.
"It's good when you have an opponent, to compete with someone, because you can get a much bigger result when you go after someone and you have to answer and it's just really good. Anyway, Lacy and I are very good friends."
After primary school, he studied and graduated as a technician in civil engineering at the ÉVISZ. The young man with a spatial sense of humility said that, fortunately, the term 'structural engineering' only refers to the design of buildings above ground.
"When the Nyíregyháza Athletics Centre was being built, it was very interesting because we managed to get in there half-finished. It was very good because I was able to analyse what was going on with a professional eye."
In the meantime, after a tough preparation in 2021, he also came up with a certain individual record (18.87 m), which is still Balázs' best. After high school, he started his studies at the University of Nyíregyháza in the sports management department as part of a correspondence course. In addition to university, he has a qualification as an athletics coach and is in the process of obtaining a fitness-wellness instructor title. According to Balázs, there are many legs to stand on, and for many legs this should preferably be linked to sport.
His role model is two-time world gold medallist Joseph Mathias Kovács, or as he is known, American weightlifter Joe Kovács, whose personal best is 23.23 metres outdoors and 22.05 metres indoors.
"What a man does during a competition and his preparation... He's got a tremendous buffalo power and he's very fast, so his technique is impressive for the sport. I've had the chance to meet him. We had a chat, he's a very, very nice, friendly guy, so he's a role model for me."
Balázs' everyday life is mostly spent on the Athletics Centre's pitches. Training at ten o'clock, then home, training again from three in the afternoon. He has earned the respect of the young athletes for his hard work, perseverance and open, helpful attitude, so they are keen to keep him company. In his free time, which is scarce, he hangs out with friends, sticking to the strict rules of the training period. She often picks up her solo guitar, which she learned to play as a child. During training sessions and before competitions, rock and metal music is what motivates him the most, which, let's admit it, is absolutely fitting for our "Viking".
"I feel like I can find a song to listen to whatever mood I'm in. Whether it's when I'm a bit tired and need to perk up, or when I need to go down to lift weights. There's nothing better than when a hard rock comes on."
The weightlifting is fundamentally defined by physics: momentum and speed. It takes strength, speed, proper technique and, of course, a thought process to put the movement together in your head. This is Balázs Tóth's strength: "he has a good head for this sport". He can see where he can improve and he does it every day, because his goal is to push that 7.26 kg weight ball all the way to the Olympics. The earliest he can do that is four years from now, with many more competitions, European and World Championships to come. He still has to work on the few centimetres that could propel him to the top of the world rankings. Because Balázs wants to prove himself as a Hungarian among the best in Hungary, where he sees his future.
"I can imagine my life in sport, especially in Hungary. I don't want to go abroad to do sports, I would like to stay in Nyíregyháza, but I don't know what the future will bring. At some point I will have an opportunity and I will take it or leave it."
