Hungarian swimming is celebrating a major triumph: Bettina Fábián has been named women’s open water swimmer of 2025 by the federation European Aquatics. Our athletes made a strong showing in several other categories, highlighting the nation’s continued dominance in continental swimming.
The federation officially announced the award on Thursday via its social media channels, recognizing the 21-year-old athlete for an outstanding year.
In 2025, Fábián not only captured two European Championship titles—in the 3-kilometer individual and team events—but also earned two bronze medals at the World Championships.
Fábián triumphed over strong competition in the final vote, including her teammate Viktória Mihályvári-Farkas, who herself had a stellar year highlighted by a European Championship gold in the 10-kilometer open water race. While Fábián’s victory was clear, the federation has not disclosed Mihályvári-Farkas’s exact placement.
Earlier in the week, the results for the men’s classic swimming events were released. Hungarian backstroke talent Hubert Kós took third place with 16.57 percent of the vote. The men’s award went to Romanian sensation David Popovici with 37.94 percent of the vote, followed by French star and Kós’s training partner Léon Marchand at 31.52 percent.
Hubert Kós. MTI/Illyés Tibor
22-year-old Hubert Kós, who was recently named Hungary’s “Athlete of the Year” for the second consecutive time, capped off a record-breaking season. At the World Championships in Singapore, he won gold in the 200-meter backstroke and bronze in the 200-meter individual medley. He also dominated all three stages of the autumn short-course World Cup backstroke events, setting new world records in both the 100- and 200-meter distances.
Hungary’s prominence in European aquatics is further reflected in the federation’s nomination lists. In addition to Fábián, Mihályvári-Farkas, and Kós, other notable Hungarian athletes made the shortlists:
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Via MTI, europeanaquatics.org; Featured image: MTI/Koszticsák Szilárd
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