Olympics-Gymnastics-Olympic champion Onodi’s family seeking funds for rehab

PARIS (Reuters) – The family of former Hungarian gymnast Henrietta Onodi, who won gold in the vault at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, is seeking funds online after she suffered a massive heart attack that will require her to undergo extensive rehabilitation.

Onodi, who also won silver in the floor exercise in Barcelona, retired in 1997. She helped Hungary to international medals at a time when the sport was dominated by the Soviet Union, Romania, China and the United States.

“Everything she did for the gymnastics society and the sport has been incredibly unselfish, now, it’s our turn to help her in this time of need,” her sister Barbara Onodi-Klausler wrote on GoFundMe, a crowdfunding website, in an appeal posted on Friday.

“Her current condition will require long-term care and extensive rehabilitation to help her regain her health.”

Onodi-Klausler said her 50-year-old sister suddenly collapsed in March at a grocery store in Florida when she was there with her three young children. Onodi has lived in the United States for decades.

“She was stabilised and transferred to the hospital, where they found almost complete blockage of her arteries. Heni underwent immediate surgery to save her life,” Onodi-Klausler wrote, referring to her sister by her nickname.