Katinka Hosszú, known the world over as the "Iron Lady", didn’t hang up her swimsuit after fulfilling her dream of becoming a mother in August 2023, in spite of what many presumed. In fact, the Hungarian swimmer decided to embark on the furiously-paced track towards taking part in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games after finding renewed inspiration in the Canary Islands. In the archipelago, she trained with the same passion and dedication that has distinguished her throughout her brilliant career.
Hosszú made her debut in the Athens 2004 Olympics and it was at the Rio 2016 games that Hosszú reached the pinnacle of her Olympic career, winning three golds and one silver medal.
Hosszú made her debut in the Athens 2004 Olympics at the age of just 15, taking part in the 200m freestyle, when she came in seventh in her trials and was eliminated after achieving the 31st-best time. Four years later, at Beijing 2008, she competed in her favourite races: the 200m and 400m freestyle, although she only swam in the heats. At London 2012, she was able to swim in her first two Olympic finals in these races, coming in eighth in the 200m individual medley and fourth in the 400m individual medley, just a few hundredths of a second away from the podium.
It was at the Rio 2016 games that Hosszú reached the pinnacle of her Olympic career, winning three golds and one silver medal. She set a world record in the 400m medley (4:26.36) and an Olympic record in the 200m medley (2:06.58), as well as winning gold in the 100m backstroke (58.45) and silver in the 200m backstroke. She also won a diploma for coming in sixth in the 4x200m freestyle.
But her success is not limited to the Olympic Games. In the European Long and Short Course Championships, and the World Short Course (25 metres) and Long Course (50 metres) Championships, Hosszú has accumulated an impressive number of medals. In the World Long Course Championships, she is the indisputable leader in the medleys, having won eight gold medals between 2009 and 2019. Her track record is enviable: she is a three-time Olympic champion, 26-time world champion and 35-time European champion. She also holds several world records, including the short course 200m medley and the short course 100m and 200m medley, in addition to the European record for long course 200m butterfly.
After becoming a mother, Katinka considered giving up competing to focus on her family. But the installations and climate of the Canary Islands reignited her enthusiasm. She trained at the Club La Santa de Lanzarote, where she enjoyed the first-class installations that enabled her to prepare for the games without leaving the complex. "At La Santa I was able to work out in the gym, swim, eat nourishing food… everything is designed for you to be able to prepare yourself at the highest level", she says.
After becoming a mother, Katinka considered giving up competing to focus on her family. But the installations and climate of the Canary Islands reignited her enthusiasm.
Hosszú says that the climate of the Canary Islands is "always perfect". “Swimming under the sun is very special, so even when the training session is really tough, training in the sunshine is much more fun”, she adds. Although she has been to Gran Canaria and Tenerife many times, she did not visit Lanzarote for the first time until December 2023, falling in love with the island due to its authenticity.
Hosszú says that the climate of the Canary Islands is "always perfect". “Swimming under the sun is very special, so even when the training session is really tough, training in the sunshine is much more fun.
Despite the fact that in 2022 she had ruled out taking part in the Paris Olympics because of her family project, her experience on Lanzarote made her reconsider this decision. Although she did not manage to qualify for the games in the end, she is still determined about continuing to notch up achievements in her sporting career, but always with the clarity that her baby is her number one priority.
Her story of achievement and resilience is an example of how passion and love for sport can lead one to attain unimaginable goals, even after having reached the top.