During her 25-year-long career, she was a steady performer, almost always finishing in the top 10 of the events she participated in. Her best year was 1994, when she won bronze at the European Allround Championships, became World Allround Champion, won the 1500 m World Cup, and became Olympic Champion on the 1500 m, while winning Olympic silver on the 3000 m. After that, her successes became fewer, but in 1999, she surprisingly won the World Single Distance Championships on her favourite distance, the 1500 m.

Hunyady participated in six Winter Olympics from 1984 to 2002 and won many Hungarian and Austrian National Allround, Sprint, and Single Distance Championships. She started her sporting career in figure skating, something she used to show when celebrating her victories as a speed skater.

At age 10, Hunyady participated at the 1977 Hungarian Sprint Championships for Juniors, finishing sixth. Representing Hungary, she had her first international competition in 1979 and in the following years, although still a junior, she entered several senior tournaments. In 1985, after marrying her Austrian coach Thomas Nemeth, she obtained Austrian citizenship and started competing for Austria. The marriage was dissolved some years later, but she retained her Austrian citizenship.

Emese Hunyady (born 4 March 1966) is a former speed skater.