Éva Székely (3 April 1927 – 29 February 2020) was a Hungarian swimmer.

She won the gold medal at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki and the silver medal at the 1956 Summer Olympics. She held the first world record in the 400 m individual medley in 1953.

Earlier in 1941 Székely set a national speed record, although she was barely allowed to start because she was a Jew. She was excluded from competition for the next four years, and survived the Holocaust partly because she was a famous swimmer. Her daughter, Andrea Gyarmati was a backstroke and butterfly swimmer who won two medals at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. Her husband, Dezső Gyarmati, from whom she was divorced, and who in 2013 predeceased her, was a multiple Olympic champion in water polo.

After retiring from competitions Székely worked as a pharmacist and swimming coach, training her daughter among others. In 1976 she was inducted to the International Swimming Hall of Fame. She authored three books, one of which was translated into other languages:

• Only winners are allowed to cry! (Sírni csak a győztesnek szabad!) Budapest, 1981, Magvető Kiadó
• I came, I saw, I lost? (Jöttem, láttam… Vesztettem?) Budapest, 1986, Magvető Kiadó
• I Swam It/I Survived (Megúsztam) Budapest, 1989, Sport Kiadó

See also

• List of members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame
• List of select Jewish swimmers