My brother had a roommate that was a Hungarian wrestling champion, and went on to the Olympics. I can't remember if he medaled or not, but I think he did, as he now has a home and stipend from the government until he dies (or the government enacts austerity measures and does away with those stipends!).
My Uncle (mom's brother) was the top wrestler (in Europe) back in his day. He had beaten all the Olympic wrestlers that year at the World Championships, and earned a place on the Hungarian team. Unfortunately, because his sister (my mom) had recently escaped their country, he was not given permission to travel and compete at the Olympics. The winner that year was a wrestler that my Uncle had never lost to.
Until his dying day, my Uncle did harbor resentment against my mom over this. However, even though he didn't go to the Olympics, he never had to work a day in his life, and after his wrestling career ended, he spent the rest of his life training wrestlers at the stadium in his hometown. He was taken care of, and his widow still receives a stipend due to her husband's glory days. But he never did get a chance to get that gold!
)
