Zarándi began his sporting career in football with Szegedi VSE, where he became renowned for his speed which also allowed him to train in athletics.

He joined Hungary's men's 4x100m relay team in 1950 during a golden age of Hungarian sport, forming part of a fabled quartet with Géza Varasdi, György Csányi and Béla Goldoványi who were affectionately known as the "lightning four".

They won bronze behind the United States and Soviet Union with a time of 40.5sec at the Helsinki 1952 Olympics, and two years later beat Britain and the Soviet Union to gold at the European Championships in the Swiss capital Bern.

Hungary has not won an Olympic sprint medal since the Games in the Finnish capital, its athletics success mostly coming in field events.

Zarándi later became a teacher and head of athletics at the Hungarian University of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, where two-time European indoor champion László Szalma, who was fourth in the men's long jump at the Moscow 1980 Olympics, was among the athletes he coached.

In 2019, Zarándi was awarded the Hungarian Gold Cross of Merit.

The Hungarian Olympic Committee offered its condolences to Zarándi's family and athletes.