Imrich Bugár, the first world champion in men’s discus and an Olympic medalist for Czechoslovakia, has died at the age of 70. His former athletic club, Dukla, announced his passing on Wednesday but did not provide details regarding the cause of death.

Born on April 14, 1955, in Ohrady, a village in present-day southern Slovakia, Bugár was of Hungarian descent. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as one of the leading discus throwers globally. His career highlight came at the inaugural IAAF World Athletics Championships held in Helsinki in 1983, where he secured the gold medal with a throw of 67.72 meters. That same year, he surpassed the 70-meter mark at a different competition, and in 1985 he set a personal best of 71.26 meters—a record that remains the Czech national benchmark.

Bugár also earned an Olympic silver medal at the 1980 Moscow Games. However, his prospects at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics were thwarted by the Soviet-led boycott, which included Czechoslovakia and other Eastern Bloc nations. Bugár was attending a training camp in California when he learned of his country’s withdrawal from the Games. He later described the news as a significant disappointment, asserting that he was at the peak of his athletic performance and considered the best discus thrower worldwide at that time.

The Soviet Union officially cited concerns for athlete safety as the reason for the boycott, widely interpreted as a retaliatory response to the U.S.-led boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Reflecting on the period, Bugár recalled openly challenging the communist authorities over their propaganda, an act that drew warning to cease such discussions.

Throughout his career, Bugár maintained a competitive presence, finishing seventh at the 1987 World Championships in Rome. In 2006, he publicly denied media allegations linking him to a state-sponsored doping program under communist rule, including claims of testing positive for anabolic steroids during secret tests before the 1987 championships.

Bugár retired from competition in 1995, leaving behind a legacy as one of Czechoslovakia’s most accomplished track and field athletes.