József Sir

József Sir (born Schier; 28 April 1912 – 22 September 1996)[1] was a Hungarian sprinter. He won three medals at the 1934 European Championships and was a four-time International University Games gold medallist.

The native form of this personal name is Sir József. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.

József Sir

Medal record
Men’s athletics
Representing  Hungary
European Championships
	1934 Turin	200 m
	1934 Turin	4×100 m relay
	1934 Turin	100 m
International University Games
	1935 Budapest	100 m
	1935 Budapest	200 m
	1935 Budapest	4×100 m relay
	1939 Vienna	100 m
	1939 Vienna	200 m
	1939 Vienna	4×100 m relay
	1939 Vienna	10×200 m relay

Career

Sir won three medals, two silvers and a bronze, at the inaugural European Championships in Turin in 1934.[1][2] He won silver in the 200 metres behind Chris Berger of the Netherlands, with both clocking 21.5.[2] In the 100 metres he ran 10.7 and placed third behind Berger (10.6) and Germany's Erich Borchmeyer.[2] He won his third medal in the 4 × 100 metres relay with the Hungarian team, which ran 41.4 and lost only to Germany.[1][2]

Sir won three gold medals at the 1935 International University Games in Budapest, running 10.8 and 21.6 for 100 and 200 metres and 41.6 with the Hungarian relay team.[3][4] At the 1936 Summer Olympics he advanced to the semi-finals in the 100 metres; he placed last in his semi-final and was eliminated.[5] In the 200 metres he went out in the quarterfinals, and the Hungarian relay team failed to qualify for the final.[5]

Sir won four more medals at the International University Games in 1939. There were two competing meetings that year, in Monte Carlo and Vienna;[4] Sir participated in the Vienna meet, winning gold in the 100 metres (10.7), silver in the 200 metres (21.9) and bronze with the 4 × 100 metres relay team. He won another bronze in the 10 × 200 metres relay, a one-off event.[4][6]

Sir was Hungarian champion at both 100 and 200 metres in 1934, 1935 and 1939.[7][8] In addition, in 1934 he won the AAA Championships at 100 yards in 9.9.[1][9] His best time for 100 metres was 10.4, which he ran in Berlin on 1 July 1934;[10] it was a Hungarian record, and remained so for more than thirty years.[1]

Sir served in the IAAF Council from 1964 to 1984.[1] He proposed the IAAF Technical Aid Programme, which sought to develop the sport, and became its first director when it was approved.[1][11]

Competition record

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing  Hungary
1934	European Championships	Turin, Italy	3rd	100 m	10.7
1934	European Championships	Turin, Italy	2nd	200 m	21.5

References

1. Istenes, Vilmos. "Dr. Sir József (1912-1996)" (in Hungarian). Atlétika Sport és Életmód Magazin. Archived from the original on 27 April 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
2. "European Championships (Men)". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
3. "6. Nemzetközi Egyetemi Játékok - 1935" (in Hungarian). Magyar Egyetemi-Főiskolai Sportszövetség. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
4. "World Student Games (Pre-Universiade)". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
5. "József Sír Bio, Stats and Results". Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
6. "Nyári Egyetemi Világbajnokság - 1939" (in Hungarian). Magyar Egyetemi-Főiskolai Sportszövetség. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
7. "Férfi 100 Méteres Síkfutás" (PDF) (in Hungarian). arakatletika.hu. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
8. "Férfi 200 Méteres Síkfutás" (PDF) (in Hungarian). arakatletika.hu. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
9. "British Athletics Championships 1919-1939". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
10. "All-Time List As At 31 December 1945" (PDF). Association of Track and Field Statisticians. Archived from the original (pdf) on 18 April 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
11. "IAAF Constitution" (PDF). International Association of Athletics Federations. Retrieved 27 April 2014.