Hungary's Olympic champion Andrea Schmid-Shapiro has died in California aged 88 ©Hungarian Gymnastics Federation

Hungary’s four-time Olympic medallist Andrea Schmid-Shapiro, whose teaching was key to the popularisation of rhythmic gymnastics in the United States, has died at her home in California aged 88.

Born on August 4 1934, Schmid-Shapiro represented her native Hungary at two Olympic Games, contributing to her team's silver medal performances in Helsinki in 1952 and Melbourne in 1956.

Her biggest accomplishment came at her second Olympics, where she won gold in the team portable apparatus event.

A precursor to rhythmic group gymnastics, team portable apparatus was contested only at the Helsinki and Melbourne editions of the Games.

The official report of the 1956 Summer Olympics commented: "Probably the most popular and spectacular item was the women's gymnastics team exercises with portable apparatus and music.

"It was a spectacle of controlled rhythm and concerted movement that has never been seen in Australia before.

After the Soviet invasion of Hungary, Andrea Schmid-Shapiro made her way to the United States, eventually settling in California ©Hungarian Gymnastics Federation
After the Soviet invasion of Hungary, Andrea Schmid-Shapiro made her way to the United States, eventually settling in California ©Hungarian Gymnastics Federation

"Hungary was the noteworthy winner."

After the Games, in the wake of the Soviet invasion of her home country, Schmid-Shapiro made her way to the United States, eventually settling in California.

Though an artistic gymnast, she devoted much of her life to rhythmic gymnastics, coaching it, giving clinics and serving on the International Gymnastics Federation Technical Committee from 1984 to 2001.

She also judged at four Olympic Games, all while working as a professor of kinesiology at San Francisco State University.

She is survived by her husband Charles Shapiro, daughter Aniko, and two granddaughters.