Hubert Kós Among 34-Strong Hungary Squad For Short-Course Worlds As Boglárka Kapás Prepares To Bid Farewell
Olympic champion Hubert Kós is among a 34-strong Hungary squad set for the World Short-Course Championships in Budapest where Boglárka Kapás will bring her fine career to a close.
Eighteen men and 15 women have been selected for the meet at the Duna Arena which runs from 10-15 December.
Kós won the 200 back at Paris 2024 which followed a busy programme at the European Championships in Belgrade where he won golds in the 200IM and 4x100m mixed freestyle relay among five medals.
Kristof Rasovszky & David Betlehem: Photo courtesy: Giorgio Scala/ Deepbluemedia
The 21-year-old will compete for the first time at short-course worlds in the 50-100-200m backstroke and 100m butterfly, three years after claiming his first international senior medal with 400IM bronze at the European Short-Course Championships in Kazan.
He is joined by David Betlehem, bronze medallist in the Olympic open water, Nándor Németh – fourth in the 100 free in Paris – and Szebasztián Szabó, who was the only Hungary swimmer to reach the podium at the last edition in Melbourne in 2022 with 50 fly bronze.
There are some newcomers in Benedek Andor, who won his first senior title in the 100m medley at last week’s Hungarian Championships in Kaposvár and Oliver Papai, who will turn 15 during the championships and is selected as a relay reserve.
Balázs Holló has been selected for the 400IM despite injuring his hand in a motorcycle accident but if he hasn’t sufficiently recovered, he may be replaced by Dominik Török, who is already doing the 200IM.
Olympic 10k champion Kristof Rasovszky had a busy programme at last week’s championships but will be cheering on his Hungary teammates from the Duna Arena stands.
Neither will Kristof Milak be competing with the two-time Olympic champion setting his sights on the 2025 World Championships in Singapore with new coach Álmos Szabó.
Kapás bade a tearful farewell at her final national championships in Kaposvár and there’ll no doubt be plenty of emotion as she draws the curtain on a career in which she’s collected Olympic, world and European medals.
The 31-year-old first emerged on to the international scene in 2010 when she won two golds and a silver at the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.
Boglarka Kapas: Photo Courtesy: Hungarian Swimming Federation
She reached her first senior international podium three months later with 800 free silver at the European short-course in Eindhoven.
That heralded an illustrious career highlighted by 800 free bronze at Rio 2016 and the 200 fly title at the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju which was her second trip to the world podium following third place in the 1500 at Kazan 2015.
She enters the final competition of her career with one Olympic and two world medals, seven European long-course titles among 13 medals and five medals, including one gold, in the continental short-course pool.
She will compete in the 400m freestyle, 200m butterfly and 400IM and is joined on the team by Ajna Kesely, Vivien Jackl and Panna Ugrai, who won six titles at last week’s championships.
Hungary team for World Short-Course Championships
Men:
Benedek Andor (100m individual medley)
David Bethlehem (400-800-1500m freestyle)
Olivér Gál (50m breaststroke)
Balázs Holló (400m medley?)
Dávid Horváth (100m breaststroke)
Ádám Jászó (100m backstroke)
Hubert Kós (50-100-200m backstroke, 100m butterfly)
Richard Márton (200m freestyle, 200m butterfly)
Nándor Németh (50-100m freestyle)
Dragon Zalán (400-800-1500m freestyle)
Szebasztián Szabó (50m freestyle, 50m butterfly)
Adam Telegdy (200m backstroke)
Dominik Török (200m individual medley, 400m individual medley)
Gábor Zombori (200-400m individual medley?)
Relay swimmers:
Magda Boldizsár
Dániel Mészáros (BVSC)
Attila Kovács
Benedek Kovács
Oliver Papai
Women:
Lilla Minna Abraham (200m freestyle)
Eszter Békési (200m breaststroke)
Henrietta Fángli (50-100m breaststroke)
Vivien Jackl (800m freestyle, 400m medley)
Boglárka Kapás (400m freestyle, 200m butterfly, 400m medley)
Ajna Késely (400-800-1500m freestyle)
Lora Komoróczy (50m backstroke, 50m butterfly, 100m individual medley)
Viktória Mihályvári Farkas (1500m freestyle)
Dóra Molnár (100-200m backstroke)
Nikolett Pádár (100-200m freestyle)
Dalma Sebestyén (200m butterfly, 200m individual medley)
Petra Senánszky (50m freestyle)
Eszter Szabó-Feltóthy (200m backstroke)
Panna Ugrai (100m freestyle, 100m butterfly)
Relay swimmer:
Kiara Požvai
