In 1938 Karoly Takacs was a sergeant in the Hungarian Army and a member of his country’s world champion pistol team. During an army exercise a grenade exploded in his right hand, his shooting hand, and shattered it. While recovering in the hospital he decided to teach himself to shoot with his left hand. Within a year he had won the national title. In 1948, at age 38, he made the Olympics in London. The world record holder, Carlos Enrique Diaz Saenz Valiente of Argentina, was surprised to see him and asked why he was there. Takacs said, “I’m here to learn.” He won gold and broke the record. On the podium the Argentine told him, “You have learned enough.” Takacs defended his title four years later.
