Sport career: alpine skiing
Péter Kozma raced as an alpine skier for Switzerland and then for Hungary, and represented Hungary at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo.[1]
Switzerland
He began skiing at the age of three. In 1981 he became a member of the Swiss University Ski Team, and in 1982 of a Swiss team (Swiss National Junior Team), where he matured into a 30-FIS-point racer.[1]
In his autobiographical text he writes that he followed the example of his mother, a multiple Hungarian ski champion, and his father, a ski jumper; that he raced in alpine events from the age of 14; and that the chance to race in university competitions was one reason for studying medicine in Zürich.
Hungary
In the early 1980s, during a competition in Italy, he was noticed by János Dörflingen and Barnabás Kovács, coaches of the Hungarian national team. Because he decided to join the Hungarian team, the Swiss federation revoked his previous points; competing under the Hungarian flag from 1983, he regained them within his first three races.[1]
This section is being expanded.
1984 Winter Olympics, Sarajevo
He finished 18th in the slalom, one of the most outstanding results in the history of Hungarian men's alpine skiing.[1]
He later wrote that he became a "national hero", which he viewed sceptically under the political system of the time.
He competed in two events at Sarajevo. He did not finish the giant slalom; in the slalom he finished 18th in a total time of 1:54.38, after placing 31st in the first run (59.14) and 17th in the second (55.24).[1][2][3]
His 18th place remained the best Hungarian result in Olympic alpine skiing until Edit Miklós finished 16th in the super combined at Sochi in 2014.[4]
The Hungarian Olympic Committee called him one of Hungary's most successful men's alpine skiers.[5]
Winter Universiade
He placed 4th in Sofia in 1983 and 5th in Nevegal, Italy, in 1985.[1]
This section is being expanded.
End of the racing career
He ended his competitive skiing career in 1987, at the age of 27. In his own account, after the Olympics he felt he had "seen everything" in the sport, moved to Hungary in 1985, and replaced competitive sport with swimming, jogging, earthwork on his land and yoga. Snowboarding, windsurfing and sailing were the extreme sports that followed.[1]
Olympedia also gives 1987 as the year he retired from skiing, at the age of 27, and adds that he later became a painter.[2]
Results databases
- Olympedia: Péter Kozma (88593)
- Sports-Reference: Péter Kozma Olympic Results (archived copy)
- Olympiandatabase: Péter Kozma
Olympedia and the archived Sports-Reference page were read for this site on 6 October 2026; Olympiandatabase refused access (HTTP 403).