Jumper Shatters Two Marks

A candidate for the 2000 Summer Olympics is living within the gates of Harvard Yard.

Making history in her first Harvard track meet ever, 5'9" freshman Dora Gyorffy, a Hungary native, broke three records in the high jump and the triple jump at the Gordon Track and Tennis Center on Saturday as the varsity women cruised to a 91-27 win over Boston College.

Ranked second in the world--and only two centimeters away from first--in the under-20 category in the high jump, Gyorffy broke the Gordon Center record, as well as the school record, with her jump of 6'2". It is an incredible feat considering the quality athletes who have competed at Gordon in the past 15 years.

Her personal best, recorded at the World Junior Championships last year, is an amazing 6'4".

"It was great," Gyorffy said, referring to her first Harvard track meet. "In Hungary, if I only jumped 6'1", people would say 'What happened to you?' However, here, people were cheering when I cleared 5'3". It was a wonderful feeling."

In addition to the high jump, Gyorffy broke the school record in the triple jump by jumping a length of 40' 8 1/4".

"I did the triple jump [on Saturday] because I like it," Gyorffy said. "The high jump is more serious."

Gyorffy's track history began when her father took her to the track when she was 10 years old. Since then, Gyorffy has been rapidly climbing the international ladder. She is a member of the Hungarian Olympic team for the year 2000, after her efforts to join the squad for the Atlanta Games last year were a bit too late.

"The Olympics last year would have been a little too much for me," Gyorffy said. "I'm hopeful for the year 2000, but that is all very far in the future."

A member of a prestigious Harvard freshmen recruiting class ranked in the top 10 in the nation by a national track magazine, Gyorffy enjoys competing as a team member rather than just as an individual.

"The team is very supportive," she said. "Everyone is really nice, and it is a very good team."

An intended government concentrator with hopes of eventually becoming an international lawyer, Gyorffy chose Harvard because of its excellent reputation for both academics and athletics. She says she has encountered very little trouble adjusting to life at an American university.

"Everyone has been so helpful--my coach, my roommates and my adviser," Gyorffy said.

Having qualified for the NCAA Championships thanks to Saturday's high jump, her goals for this school year include both breaking her personal records and performing well at the NCAAs.

Next summer, Gyorffy will compete in the European Championships in her home city of Budapest. Currently she is ranked 24th in the world for all ages in the high jump. She has been the Hungarian national champion several times in the past.

With as amazing a start as her first meet, her future--and Harvard's--looks extremely promising.