Oldest Jewish Woman to Win a Summer Olympic Medal
Record holder
Record value
45 years and 71 days
Country represented: HungaryAchievement location: Helsinki, FinlandAchievement date: 27 July 1952Current record
Verified by Jewish World RecordsHow we verify records
Ilona Elek with André Gardère, Hungary, 1941.FORTEPAN / Bojár SándorSourceCC BY-SA 3.0
Official record definition
The oldest verified eligible Jewish woman, measured by exact age on the date her medal result was finalized, to win an official Summer Olympic medal. All competitive medal colours and individual/team events count; Winter Olympics, Youth Olympics, demonstration events and medals won before Jewish eligibility are excluded.
Measurement methodology
Exact age calculated from date of birth to the date the Olympic medal result was finalized.
Measurement point: 1952 Helsinki women’s individual foil silver-medal final
Record story
At Helsinki 1952, Hungarian foil champion Ilona Elek-Schacherer returned to the Olympic podium at an age almost unheard of in elite fencing. The women’s individual foil final pool concluded on 27 July 1952, when Elek won the silver medal. Born on 17 May 1907, she was exactly 45 years and 71 days old. JWR’s Jewish-women Olympic age review found no eligible Jewish woman who won a Summer Olympic medal at an older age. Elek had already won Olympic foil gold in 1936 and 1948, making the 1952 silver the final medal of an extraordinary career spanning pre-war and post-war Olympic competition.
Media
How JWR verified this record
- Verification date
- 3 September 2026
- Verification standard
- JWR Verification Standard 1.0
Achievement evidence
Olympedia records the Helsinki 1952 women’s individual foil final pool on 27 July 1952 and Ilona Elek-Schacherer in second place, winning silver. With her documented birth date of 17 May 1907, her exact age on the medal-result date was 45 years 71 days.
Superiority evidence
JWR’s women-only Jewish Olympic medalist age sweep found no eligible Jewish woman older than 45 years 71 days at the date of a Summer Olympic medal result. Reviewed comparators included Edith Master (43y339d), Ellen Müller-Preis, Dara Torres (41) and Ágnes Keleti (35). The claim is women-only and does not displace the separately researched overall/male age record.
Jewish Eligibility — Verified by JWR
Jewish eligibility verification
Evidence establishing that the holder qualifies as Jewish for JWR purposes.
- ESPN broadcaster Chris Berman among International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame’s 11 inductees for 2023 — Jewish Telegraphic Agency
- Ilona Elek-Schacherer — International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
- Class of 2023 — International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
Achievement / record verification
Evidence establishing that the holder achieved the result and holds the record as defined.
- Foil, Individual, Women — Helsinki 1952 — Olympedia
Jewish eligibility, achievement and superiority evidence retain their separate classifications and are never merged. Context and provenance are not presented as proof of the achievement. Restricted evidence and internal research notes are never published. Learn more about the seven-stage process on the verification page.
Sources & Verification
Foil, Individual, Women — Helsinki 1952
Independent publicationOlympedia
What this proves: Records the women’s individual foil final pool on 27 July 1952 and Ilona Elek-Schacherer in second place, winning silver.
ESPN broadcaster Chris Berman among International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame’s 11 inductees for 2023
Independent publicationJewish Telegraphic Agency· 6 January 2023
What this proves: Explicitly states Ilona Elek-Schacherer was born in Budapest to a Jewish father and Catholic mother, and identifies her among the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame 2023 inductees. Supports JWR heritage eligibility; does not establish halakhic status.
Independent publicationInternational Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
What this proves: Records her birth date, Olympic golds in 1936 and 1948, 1952 silver at age 45, and Hall of Fame induction.
Independent publicationInternational Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
What this proves: Corroborates Elek’s two Olympic gold medals and the 1952 silver medal and her Jewish Sports Hall of Fame recognition.
History
Verified
Verified according to JWR Verification Standard 1.0.
Publishedv1
Published to the official JWR registry.