Holocaust victim

The Shooter Who Switched Hands.

In 1938, Károly Takács was the best pistol shooter in Hungary and a serious contender for Olympic gold. Then a defective grenade exploded during army training and shattered his right hand, his shooting hand, beyond repair. His career, by every reasonable measure, was over.

Takács spent a month in the hospital. When he got out, he told no one what he was doing. For an entire year, he secretly trained himself to shoot with his left hand. In 1939, he showed up at the Hungarian national pistol championship and won it. Nobody had known he was even practicing.

By the time the 1948 London Olympics came around, Takács was 38 years old and largely unknown to the international field. The reigning world champion and heavy favorite, Argentina's Carlos Enrique Díaz Sáenz Valiente, spotted him at the venue and asked why he was in London. Takács replied: "I'm here to learn."

He then beat Valiente's world record by ten points, taking Olympic gold with 580 points. As they stood on the podium, Takács with gold, Valiente with silver, the Argentine turned to him and said: "You have learned enough." Four years later in Helsinki, Takács won gold again.

A man rebuilt his entire craft from the opposite side of his body, and his rival's only response was a perfect line.

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