Eniko Kiefer

Last updated

Eniko Kiefer
Personal information
Born (1960-08-12) 12 August 1960 (age 63)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Height155 cm (61 in)
Weight55 kg (121 lb)
Sport
Sport Diving
Coached byDezso Kiefer (father)
Medal record
Women's diving
Representing Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Commonwealth Games
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1978 Edmonton 3 m springboard

Eniko Kiefer (born 12 August 1960) is a Canadian diver. She competed in the women's 3 metre springboard event at the 1976 Summer Olympics. During the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, she won a bronze medal in the 3 meter women's springboard event.

Contents

In her earlier years, she competed in gymnastics from the age of two up to about seven, when she made a decision to fully concentrate on diving under the coaching of her father, Dezso Kiefer, due to the higher risk of injury associated with gymnastics. During her early diving career, she was compared to Cindy Shatto and in 1975, became only the second Canadian diver to break the 400 point barrier in an age class competition. By this time, she was ranked third nationally and was unanimously considered among coaches as being "the best in the world". She was selected to represent the Canadian national diving team at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow before Canada announced a boycott of the event in protest of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. In 1982, she competed at the World Diving Championships held in Ecuador that year.

In October 2001, by that time a school teacher, Kiefer was one of seven people enshrined in the McGill Sports Hall of Fame, making her just the fifth woman to be inducted.

Early life

At the age of two, Kiefer started gymnastics and took up diving at the age of seven. In her spare time, she would also play in her high school's basketball and badminton teams, like her father, a basketball and badminton teacher who also acted as her diving coach. Despite a busy schedule, Kiefer commented that diving had been good for her, being able to travel a lot and see the world. [1] At the age of seven, Kiefer made the big decision to choose diving over gymnastics, commenting that "at the time I didn't really know what the future might hold for me". Her father, who also was coaching her in gymnastics, considered there was too high a risk of injury at the competitive level she had then reached. In 1969, she was chosen by the North Shore News and Civilian Club as the North Shore Female Athlete of the Year [2] and in January 1971, won the Roscoe LaBosier Trophy in the under-10 girls age group. [3] Eniko and her older sister Gyogyi were each coached by their father at the West End club from around 1972. [2]

Career

In 1974 during the Canadian National and Junior Diving Championships, Kiefer's performances were described as being among the most prominent, winning the 1-metre and 3-metre events in her respective categories in what was considered "the most outstanding showing". She outperformed Cindy Shatto, who had achieved a gold medal in the 1974 British Commonwealth Games, by just under 1 point. Anthony Fouriezos, who was president of the Quebec Amateur Diving Federation, suggested that she should definitely be in consideration for the national team. [4] She also finished as runner-up in the women's 3-metre springboard event at the 1974 Los Angeles Invitational diving championship, losing out to Cynthia Potter by a points total of 415.40 to 460.25. [5] During May 1975 at the National Junior Olympic Diving Championships, Kiefer won four gold medals and was described as being "undoubtedly the strongest female diver to test a board since Beverly Boys, with unanimous consensus among coaches that she could become "the best in the world". She became the first 14-year-old in the history of Canada to break the 400-point mark a single 10-dive event, managing to attain 403.60 points on the 1-metre board and becoming only the second Canadian diver to break the 400 point barrier in an age class competition after Cindy Shatto. At this time, despite being several years off her peak, Kiefer was already ranked third nationally behind Bev Boys and Cindy Shatto. [6] Despite winning the women's 1-metre springboard event at the 1975 Canadian National Summer Diving Championships, she could only manage a 6th place finish in both the 3-metre and high tower events, thus failing to qualify for a place on the 1975 Pan American Games. [7]

Through the early 1970s, she did not lose a single age-group meet until a 3rd place finish at the Winnipeg Canadian Nationals, which she was disappointed with and by her own admission "is not what I had expected". Despite this, during the 1976 Olympic 3-metre springboard trials, she secured a 2nd place finish to qualify as a member of the Canadian Olympic team. [2] When asked prior to the Olympics what she felt the greatest moment of her career was to date, she believed this was her Olympic trial performance, coming through with the best performance of her life on the springboard and also mentioned the 1971 World Age Group Championships as "another great thrill". She was proud of the fact that at that time, she had not lost an age group competition within the preceding four to five years. [8] With the 1976 Olympics taking place in Montreal, she did not need to travel abroad to participate and noted this took some pressure off her. [2] At the Olympics, she competed in the women's 3 metre springboard event. [9]

In 1977, she was training in just three or four diving sessions each week, whereas international-class divers would typically train every day. Her goals at that time were to compete in the 1980 Summer Olympics and maybe also reach the 1984 Summer Olympics, having at that time been considered "a definite medal contender in the near future". [1] Kiefer did ultimately qualify for the Canada's 1980 Olympic team, but was not able to compete when Canada boycotted the event in protest of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. [10] In March 1982, by then described as a "spring board champion", she finished second in the Canadian Diving Championships 3-metre event with a score of 497.04 and subsequently qualified for the 1982 World Diving Championships held in Ecuador in August that year. [11]

Later life

In October 2001, Kiefer was one of seven people enshrined in the McGill Sports Hall of Fame, making her just the fifth woman to be inducted. By this time, Kiefer was a school teacher. [10]

Personal

Her father, Dezso Kiefer, was originally from Hungary and was her diving coach, as well as sharing national coaching duties with national diving coach Don Webb. Her sister, Gyorgyi, was two years her senior. [2] As a competitive athlete, Kiefer measured 155 centimetres (61 in) in height and weighed 55 kilograms (121 lb). [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Émilie Heymans</span> Canadian diver (born 1981)

Émilie-Joane Heymans is a Canadian diver. She was born in Brussels, Belgium and raised in Greenfield Park, a suburb of Montreal. Heymans has won four Olympic medals, two bronze and two silver. She was the first female diver to win medals in four consecutive Olympic games and the first Canadian to win medals in four consecutive Olympics. Heymans also is a one time world champion and has won four Pan American championships as well as one Commonwealth Games championship. In addition she has won multiple medals in all three of these competitions.

Gao Min is a Chinese diver who won gold medals in the springboard event of the 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noemi Batki</span> Italian diver

Noemi Batki is a Hungarian-born Italian former diver. She was a member of the Italian National Diving Team at four Olympic Games and was a member of the sports section of the Italian Army, Centro Sportivo Esercito, and Triestina Nuoto.

Karen Marie LaFace is a retired American female diver for Ohio State University and a 1992 U.S. Olympic competitor in 3m springboard diving. She later worked as a physician and coached diving in Ithaca, New York.

Kelly Anne McCormick is a retired Hall of Fame female diver from the United States. She dove for Ohio State University and twice competed for her native country at the Summer Olympics, winning a silver (1984) and a bronze medal (1988) in the Women's 3m Springboard event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Janet Ely</span> American Olympic diver

Janet Ely is a former American female diver for the University of Michigan and Southern Methodist University and was a diving competitor in the 1972 Munich and 1976 Montreal Olympics. Under coach Dick Kimball, she trained in swimming and diving at the YMCA Tennis Club, then attended and swam for the University of Michigan and Southern Methodist University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Abel</span> Canadian diver (born 1991)

Jennifer Abel is a Canadian former diver. She is currently partnered with Mélissa Citrini-Beaulieu for synchronized diving. She won an Olympic bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the 3 m synchro diving event with Émilie Heymans and a silver medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in the same event with Melissa Citrini-Beaulieu. Abel is a four-time Commonwealth Games champion in the 1 m and 3 m synchronized springboard; and is also a three-time Pan American Games champion in the 3 m springboard and 3 m synchronized springboard. Her ten medals at the FINA World Championships are a record for most medals by a Canadian in diving at the world championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cindy Shatto</span> Canadian diver (1957–2011)

Cynthia "Cindy" Shatto was a Canadian diver. She won a gold medal in the 1974 British Commonwealth Games 3 metre springboard event and competed in the women's 10 metre platform event at the 1976 Summer Olympics, where she finished fifth following controversy over the judges' scoring.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaele Patrick</span> Australian springboard diver

Jaele Patrick is an Australian diver specialising in the women's three-metre springboard event. Starting as a gymnast at age four, she switched to diving when she was fifteen years old and attended Texas A&M on a diving scholarship. She placed 11th at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edna Child</span> British diver (1922–2023)

Edna Lilian Child was a British diver. Competing in the 3 metre springboard she won a gold medal at the 1950 British Empire Games and a bronze at the 1938 European Championships and finished sixth at the 1948 Summer Olympics. At the 1950 British Empire Games she also won a gold medal in the 10 metre platform. Her husband Ken Tinegate competed in rowing at those Games.

Jenna Louise Dreyer is a female South African diver, who specialized in springboard and platform events. She is a two-time Olympian, and an honorable All-American mention on the 3 m springboard and 10 m platform, while residing in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minami Itahashi</span> Japanese diver (born 2000)

Minami Itahashi is a Japanese diver. She has represented Japan at various international events since the age of 14, including the 2015 World Aquatics Championships and the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Deborah Wilson is an American diver. Wilson originally competed in springboard diving before moving on to platform diving. As a platform diver, she was first at the 1973 Amateur Athletic Union national diving championships. She participated in the 1973 World Aquatics Championships and 1975 World Aquatics Championships but did not medal in either championship. In international competitions, Wilson won a bronze medal in the women's 10 metre platform event at the 1976 Summer Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alison Drake (diver)</span> British diver

Alison Jean Drake is a female former diver who competed for England. She competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics and the 1980 Summer Olympics.

Esme Harris was a British diver. She competed in the women's 3 metre springboard event at the 1948 Summer Olympics and was the youngest British Olympian that year at the age of fifteen. After marrying, she became known as Esme Gibb.

Judy Stewart is a Canadian diver. She competed in two events at the 1964 Summer Olympics. She was coached by champion diver Don Webb and won medals in the 1963 Pan American Games and the 1965 British Swimming Championships. Stewart was a former gymnast and married golfer Phil Brownlee in January 1966 and later retired from competitive diving that year.

Kathy Kelemen is a Canadian diver. She competed in the women's 10 metre platform event at the 1984 Summer Olympics and won bronze medals in each of the 1982 and 1986 Commonwealth Games.

Katura Horton-Perinchief is a Bermudian diver. She competed in the women's 3 metre springboard event at the 2004 Summer Olympics. She also competed at the 2002 and 2006 Commonwealth Games. Horton-Perinchief was the first black woman to compete in diving at the Olympics. She was also the first female to compete for Bermuda in diving at the Olympics, and the first Bermudian diver at the Olympics since the 1952 Summer Olympics.

Linda Cuthbert is a Canadian former diver and present sports director of Commonwealth Sport Canada since 2006, having also served as a technical official for several commonwealth games. During her diving career, Cuthbert won a bronze medal in each of the 1975 and 1979 Pan American Games platform diving events, as well as a gold medal in the 1978 Commonwealth Games 10 metre highboard event. Cuthbert began diving at age 10 and started to take it seriously in 1967, when she had a series of different coaches until settling with Don Webb, who became her permanent coach.

The diving competition at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games in Christchurch, New Zealand counted a total number of four medal events: two events for both men and women. New Zealand, as host nation, did not win any medals in the diving event.

References

  1. 1 2 "Eniko Kiefer strong contender". The Gazette. 15 April 1977. p. 25.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Dollard's Kiefer finds years of hard work do pay off". The South Shore News. 8 July 1976. p. 8.
  3. ↑ "Roscoe LaBosier Trophy winners". Asbury Park Press. 19 January 1971. p. 26.
  4. ↑ "Pierrefonds' Eniko Kiefer shines in weekend diving competitions". The Gazette. 21 May 1974. p. 15.
  5. ↑ "Eniko Kiefer 2nd in diving". The Gazette. 22 July 1974. p. 18.
  6. ↑ "Quebec duo springs into diving spotlight". Calgary Herald. 20 May 1975. p. 11.
  7. ↑ "Local diver as 'Dunn' it". Calgary Herald. 8 September 1975. p. 19.
  8. ↑ "Keifer captures diving laurels at Nationals". The South Shore News. 27 May 1976. p. 12.
  9. 1 2 "Eniko Kiefer". Olympedia. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  10. 1 2 "Former Olympic diver one of seven inductees enshrined at university's sports ceremony". The Gazette. 26 October 2001. p. 35.
  11. ↑ "Quebec divers take medals". The Gazette. 15 March 1982. p. 42.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.