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Szilveszter Csollany, Olympic gymnastics champion in 2000, dies after COVID infection

Szilveszter Csollany

24 Sep 2000: Szilveszter Csollany of Hungary (centre) wins Gold, Dimosthenis Tampakos of Greece (left) wins Silver and Iordan Iovtchev in the Mens Rings at the Sydney Superdome on Day Nine of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. Mandatory Credit: Jed Jacobsohn /Allsport

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BUDAPEST, Hungary — Szilveszter Csollany, a 2000 Olympic gymnastics champion, died Monday at the age of 51 after spending weeks hospitalized with COVID-19, Hungarian sports officials said.

The Hungarian Olympic Committee and the country’s gymnastics federation issued a joint statement confirming the death of Csollany, who won a gold medal in the men’s rings competition at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He also won silver in 1996 in Atlanta and a world championship gold in 2002.

He was a six-time medalist at the European gymnastics championships, and the recipient of Hungary’s “Sportsman of the Year” award in 2000 and 2002.

Csollany had been hospitalized with COVID-19 since early December, and spent several weeks on a ventilator.