Open Water Swimmers Exceed all Expectations at European Championships

Hungarian open water swimmers made history at the European Championships in Croatia, racking up an impressive medal haul. With five gold, two silver, and two bronze medals, they not only secured top spot in the medal table, but also won the Team Trophy for the first time.

As reported by Hungary Today, the Hungarian delegation excelled in the first two days of last week’s continental competition, collecting a total of five medals: Kristóf Rasovszky won gold in the 10 km and bronze in the 5 km, Viktória Mihályvári-Farkas won gold in the 10 km and silver in the 5 km, while Dávid Betlehem also came second in the 5 km.

The Hungarian swimmers did not tire in following days either. On Friday, they excelled in the sprint competitions. Kristóf Rasovszky, already a multiple Olympic, world, and European champion, confidently secured the gold medal in the men’s knockout sprint. He led the race from the start and left his competitors trailing behind. His teammate Dávid Betlehem also made it onto the podium, fighting hard to win the bronze medal.

In the women’s knockout sprint, Bettina Fábián won in impressive style. With a strong start and excellent butterfly stroke, she secured the gold medal. “I did what the guys did: I kicked hard at the start because I knew I was faster and more explosive than the others, and then I just had to hold that position,” said the Hungarian swimmer after her victory.

The crowning glory was the team competition on Saturday, in which the Hungarian relay team – consisting of Viktória Mihályvári-Farkas, Bettina Fábián, Dávid Betlehem, and Kristóf Rasovszky – won another gold medal. In an exciting race over four 1,500-meter legs, the Hungarian swimmers put in a strong team performance and secured victory. Kristóf Rasovszky, who entered the water as the final swimmer, delivered a sensational final sprint.

Kristóf Rasovszky made history with four medals (two gold, one silver, one bronze) at a single European Open Water Championships – a feat no male athlete has ever achieved before.

The Hungarian Swimming Association highlighted in a statement that Kristóf Rasovszky is also the defending 10 km champion at the Olympic Games, World Championships, and European Championships, and has won seven out of seven relay competitions with the Hungarian team since 2021.

The entire Hungarian team exceeded all expectations.

This is the best performance ever by a national team: no country has ever finished at the top of the table with 5 gold medals, and 9 medals in total.

For the first time, Hungary topped the medal table and won the prestigious Team Trophy. The athletes eclipsed the previous record of five gold medals set by Italy in 2011. Another historic achievement was that the Hungarians won medals in all seven events. To be fair, the Italians also achieved this for the first time in 2022, but in that case, the results of the interrupted 25 km race were determined retrospectively, somewhat controversially, explained the Hungarian federation in the statement. In this respect, the current performance, in which a medal was won in every discipline, is the first classic “100 percent” record for a team.

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