Zsolt Bíber (born 31 May 1976) is a Hungarian shot putter who represented Hungary at the 2004 Summer Olympics. His 20.81 m put, achieved in Budapest on 15 February 2004, is the Hungarian national record in the men's shot put. He won four Hungarian outdoor titles and seven Hungarian indoor titles. In 2003, he won the silver medal in the shot put at the European Cup First League.

Early life and youth career

Bíber began athletics in 1990 following an agreement with his father, Pál Bíber. Pál Bíber was his youth coach at Szolnoki MÁV MTE.

In 1993, he won the Hungarian cadet championship with the 5 kg shot. He led the age group ranking with 17.98 m and won the Hungarian Slovak cadet international meet in Veszprém with the same result, competing for Hungary's cadet national team.

In 1994, Bíber won both the indoor and outdoor Hungarian youth titles. He put 17.10 m in the indoor final and 17.60 m at the outdoor youth championships, both with the 6 kg shot. His coach was Pál Bíber. He received local sporting recognition for both titles at the end of the year.

In 1995, he retained his indoor youth title with a 17.30 m put using the 6 kg shot. He then placed sixth at the 1995 European Athletics Junior Championships in Nyíregyháza with 16.14 m, using the senior 7.26 kg shot. In 1996, he won the outdoor Hungarian junior title with a 16.28 m put using the senior shot. That year, aged 20, he won silver at the senior Hungarian outdoor championships with 17.52 m. He put 16.55 m in the qualification round of the 1997 European Athletics U23 Championships in Turku.

Senior athletics career

Bíber won his first senior Hungarian indoor title in 1998 with 18.07 m. His coaches were Ferenc Szegletes and István Papp. In 2000, he won his first senior outdoor Hungarian title in Budapest with 19.46 m.

On 27 May 2001, at the Dr. Péter Bácsalmási Memorial Meeting, he put 20.47 m. The mark surpassed by two centimetres the 20.45 m Hungarian record held by Vilmos Varjú since 31 July 1971.

In 2001, his coaches were Jenő Kóczián for technical preparation and István Papp for weightlifting and strength preparation. He began working with the rotational technique in 1997, having learned its foundations from Ferenc Szegletes and developed it further with Kóczián.

In 2002, he first improved the Hungarian indoor record to 20.32 m, then won the Hungarian indoor championships with 20.26 m. In 2003, he won the outdoor title with 19.26 m and the indoor title with 19.32 m.

Hungarian national record

On 31 January 2004 in Budapest, Bíber improved his own record to 20.43 m. Two weeks later, on 15 February at the Olympic Hall, he improved the record with a series that included 20.32 m, 20.29 m and 20.81 m.

The 20.81 m throw was achieved indoors. It is the Hungarian national record in the men's shot put.

In 2004, he won the Hungarian indoor title with 20.34 m and the outdoor Hungarian title with 20.55 m. The latter result was among the performances that secured his entry for the Athens Olympics.

2004 season, results over 20 metres

Date Venue and competition Result Place 31 January 2004 Budapest Open Championships 20.43 m 1st 15 February 2004 Budapest Indoor Meeting 20.81 m 1st 23 February 2004 Hungarian Indoor Championships, Budapest 20.34 m 1st 6 March 2004 World Indoor Championships, Budapest 20.24 m 9th 5 June 2004 Meeting de Atletismo, Seville 20.40 m 5th 4 July 2004 Padova International Meeting 20.51 m 2nd 9 July 2004 Hungarian Championships, Debrecen 20.55 m 1st 19 July 2004 IAAF Grand Prix II, Thessaloniki 20.28 m 1st 8 August 2004 METÁL Hungaria Cup, Szombathely 20.41 m 1st

International competitions

Year Competition Venue Event Result 1995 European Junior Championships Nyíregyháza Shot put 6th, 16.14 m 1997 European U23 Championships Turku Shot put, qualification 16.55 m 2000 European Indoor Championships Ghent Shot put, qualification Three fouls 2002 European Indoor Championships Vienna Shot put, qualification 19.30 m 2002 European Championships Munich Shot put, qualification 18.83 m 2003 World Championships Paris Shot put, qualification 15th, 18.99 m 2004 World Indoor Championships Budapest Shot put, qualification 9th, 20.24 m 2004 Summer Olympics Athens Shot put, qualification 24th, 19.31 m

Before the World Indoor Championships in Budapest, Bíber was fifth in the season's indoor world rankings with 20.81 m. He competed with sinusitis on 23 February, could not train in the days before the championships because of the illness and took antibiotics. He put 20.24 m in qualification, finishing ninth overall and four centimetres short of the mark needed for the final.

At the Athens Olympics, he put 19.31 m in the second qualification group and finished 24th overall.

European Cup

As a member of Hungary's men's team, Bíber won silver in the shot put with 19.66 m in Group A of the European Cup First League in Lappeenranta on 21 June 2003. Finland's Conny Karlsson, the 1997 European U23 champion, won with 19.94 m. Gjøran Sørli was third with 18.67 m. Bíber's second place earned seven points for Hungary.

Senior Hungarian titles in shot put

Indoor Result Outdoor Result 1998 18.07 m 2000 19.46 m 2001 19.33 m 2003 19.26 m 2002 20.26 m 2004 20.55 m 2003 19.32 m 2005 19.12 m 2004 20.34 m 2005 18.54 m 2007 18.98 m

In 2005, Bíber retained the indoor title with 18.54 m and won the outdoor title with 19.12 m. In 2006, he placed second at the Hungarian outdoor championships with 17.61 m. In 2007, he won another Hungarian indoor title with 18.98 m. At the 2007 Hungarian outdoor championships, he won silver with 18.44 m. He retired from competition after the 2007 season.

Weightlifting

In December 2002, Bíber won bronze in the +105 kg category at the Hungarian senior weightlifting championships in Nyíregyháza. He totalled 320 kg, with a 145 kg snatch and a 175 kg clean and jerk.

In October 2003, Bíber again won bronze in the +105 kg category at the Thorn Lighting Hungarian Championships in Kisbér. He totalled 335 kg, with a 152.5 kg snatch and a 182.5 kg clean and jerk. The total was his personal best.

István Papp was his coach for both national championship bronze medals.

Péter Nagy described Bíber as one of his biggest weightlifting rivals at the start of his career.

Clubs and coaches

In his youth career, Bíber competed for Szolnoki MÁV MTE and later for Szolnoki MÁV Ideál. He spent much of his senior athletics career with BEAC, competed at the 2004 Olympics for Újpesti TE and later appeared in Hungarian results lists for Szolnoki MÁV SE. His coaches were Pál Bíber, Ferenc Szegletes, Jenő Kóczián for technique and István Papp for weightlifting and strength training.

References