ATHLETE – TRACK & FIELD – CANOE – KAYAK – INDUCTED IN 2017
Growing up in Hungary, Gabby Szanto set a string of national age group high jump records and was a member of the Hungarian junior track and field team. After moving to Canada in 1989, she continued to compete, and excel, in masters competitions in both track and field and sprint canoe.
She won two gold medals in pole vault at the World Masters Athletics Championships, earning her first in Australia (over-35) in 2001 and then repeating the feat 11 years later (over-45) in 2012 in Finland. She almost added a third world title, earning a silver medal (over-50) in 2015 in France.
Szanto was named Ontario Masters Athletics’ athlete of the year three straight years (2013-2015). In 2014 and 2015, she earned nine gold medals at the Ontario Masters Athletics Championships.
Along the way she set Canadian masters over-35 records in high jump (1.50m) and pole vault (3.00m) that have stood for more than 20 years. She also established national over-45 records in high jump (1.42m), pentathlon (2,809 points), pole vault (2.70m) that still stand. She also at one time held national over-45 javelin and over-50 shot put records.
Having conquered the world on land, Szanto turned to the water in 2012 when she started competing in sprint canoe at the age of 46. In her first three years of competition, she won eight medals (six silver, two bronze) at the Masters Canoe National Championships.
At the 2013 World Masters Games in Italy, she earned five gold medals.
While competing, Szanto found time to coach. She was a member of the Canadian coaching staff at the IAAF World Youth Championships in 2003 and was an assistant coach for York University from 2002-06.