Budapest (Hungary), Nov 24 (IANS) Hungarian modern pentathlete Gabor Benedek, 98, has become the new longest-living Olympic gold medallist, Hungarian news agency MTI reported on Monday, after former Soviet Union footballer Nikita Simonyan passed away at the age of 99.

Simonyan, who was of Armenian origin, won Olympic gold with the Soviet team at the 1956 Melbourne Games. He turned 99 on October 12.

Simonyan was the all-time leading scorer in the history of Spartak Moscow, where he won four Soviet league titles as a player and later guided the club to two more as head coach, reports Xinhua.

He also led Ararat Yerevan to a historic league and cup double in 1973 and returned for a second spell in charge in the mid-1980s. Ararat described his contribution to Armenian football as “invaluable”, adding that Simonyan was “a true great”.

Among his major achievements was winning gold with the Soviet Union at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.

With Simonyan’s passing, Benedek is now the oldest living Olympic gold medalist. Born on March 23, 1927, in Tiszafured, Benedek won team gold and individual silver at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, later adding world championship titles in both individual and team events.

Benedek has lived near Bonn, Germany, since 1970.

Benedek was also the individual winner at the 1953 World Championships and part of the gold medal-winning Hungarian team in 1954 (with Szondy and non-Olympian Károly Tasnády). Individually, he won bronze medals at the 1947, 1949, 1950, and 1956 Hungarian Championships and was runner-up in 1951.

He was a four-time national champion in the team event (1949, 1951-1953), once runner-up (1950), and once bronze medalist (1956). He also won a Hungarian team fencing championship in 1951.

Hungary’s Agnes Keleti, the five-time Olympic gymnastics champion who passed away on January 2 this year, shortly before her 104th birthday, remains the all-time oldest Olympic champion.

–IANS

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