Laszlo Bellak

Laszlo Bellak
Full name	BELLAK Laszlo
Nationality	Hungary United States
Medal record Men's table tennis Representing Hungary World Championships 1938 Wembley Doubles 1938 Wembley Mixed Doubles 1938 Wembley Men's Team 1937 Baden Men's Team 1936 Prague Men's Team 1935 Wembley Doubles 1935 Wembley Men's Team 1934 Paris Singles 1934 Paris Mixed Doubles 1934 Paris Men's Team 1932 Prague Doubles 1932 Prague Men's Team 1931 Budapest Mixed Doubles 1931 Budapest Men's Team 1930 Berlin Singles 1930 Berlin Doubles 1930 Berlin Men's Team 1929 Budapest Doubles 1929 Budapest Mixed Doubles 1928 Stockholm Singles 1928 Stockholm Doubles 1928 Stockholm Men's Team

Lazlo Bellak (February 12, 1911 in Budapest, Hungary – September 20, 2006, in Miami, Florida) was a Hungarian and American table tennis player.

Table tennis career

He represented Hungary 59 times in international competition. The won 21 medals at the World Championships, seven of which were gold. This included six wins as a member of the Hungarian National Team that won the Swaythling Cup in 1928, 1930, 1931, 1934, 1935, and 1938.

Bellak moved to the United States at the start of World War II, and enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving in India and Burma. He was decorated three times, and was honorably discharged with the Victory Medal, attaining the rank of Sergeant.

He won the U.S. Men’s Singles title in 1938, the U.S. Men’s Doubles in 1937, 1939, and 1943, and the U.S. Mixed Doubles in 1941.

Halls of Fame

Bellak was inducted into the USA Table Tennis Hall of Fame in 1980 and the International Table Tennis Foundation Hall of Fame in 1993.

Bellak, who was Jewish, was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.

He was inducted into the Florida Table Tennis Hall of Fame in 1996.

Book

He authored Table Tennis—How A New Sport Was Born: The History of the Hungarian Team Winning 73 Gold Medals (1990).

See also

• List of select Jewish table tennis players

External links

• Jews in Sports bio