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2016 FEMALE EUROPEAN SWIMMER OF THE YEAR: KATINKA HOSSZU
This summer, the swimming world saw a whole different Katinka Hosszu than the one we watched in 2012. Hosszu left the London Olympics riddled with disappointment, having finished 4th in the 400 IM, 8th in the 200 IM, and 9th in the 200 fly. Since then, we’ve seen her develop into the Iron Lady, taking on monster schedules at several meets.
The 2016 Rio Olympics were the culmination of her redemption. In Hosszu’s first finals swim of the meet, she shattered the 400 IM World Record, making the first Olympic medal of her career a gold one. But Hosszu didn’t stop there. She also went on to win gold in the 100 back and 200 IM. She nearly went 4 for 4, but wound up taking silver in a close 2nd to Maya DiRado in the 200 back. Hosszu also made a relay appearance, helping Hungary earn a spot in the final of the women’s 4×200 free relay. They wound up finishing 6th with Hosszu as their anchor.
Hosszu’s dominance continued into the short course season, as she won her 6th straight World Cup title at the 2016 FINA World Cup Series. Throughout the series, Hosszu reeled in a total of 105 medals, 73 of which were gold. Her earnings added up to $386,750, and she was the only swimmer to score more than 1,000 total points.
The Iron Lady followed that up with a winning performance at the 2016 FINA Short Course World Championships. There, she won 7 golds for her country.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
In no particular order
Sarah Sjostrom (photo: Peter Sukenik)
- Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden: Sjostrom was a 3-time medalist at the 2016 Olympics. With her performance in the 100 fly, she became the first Swedish woman to win swimming gold, setting a new World Record in the process. She nearly picked up another gold in the 200 free, taking silver after coming up just short behind Katie Ledecky. In another nailbiter finish, she earned her 3rd medal with a bronze in the 100 free.
- Mireia Belmonte Garcia, Spain: Garcia was the 2016 Olympic gold medalist in the 200 fly after making a back-half surge to run down Australia’s Madeline Groves. She also walked away from Rio with a bronze medal from the 400 IM and a new Spanish Record in the 800 free.
I think Hosszu’s Olympics results can not be overstated.
3 golds and 1 silver, all in individual events. Only Shane Gould exceeded her.
Has she been a US swimmers, she would have come home with additional 2 relay golds (4×200 and 4×100 medley) and a relay silver (as part of 4×100 free prelims).
She simply won’t be chosen on relays has she been American swimmer. Because of her times and overlapping schedule. BTW, being married to American citizen gives her the option to be an American swimmer. She doesn’t want it at this moment. It is either she is very patriotic or there is money concern (taxes, awards, etc), or it can be simply the attempt to avoid stronger competition ( she is #1 Hungarian swimmer, who knows who she would be being American).
So stop dreaming about these hypothetical collection of gold medals.
Katinka Hosszu is probably the fittest women’s athlete in the world right now. In any sport.
She’s the only swimmer able to do what she does. Swmming so many races at so many meets from January to December with an average level of performances very high. Maybe unfair but there’s a suspicion around her since she transformed into a swimming machine between 2012 and 2013. Her body has changed a lot between her years at USC and now. I hope all of that is natural and I want to believe it’s just the result of a training change and the result of a great ethic work.
Compared to most of her rivals, it’s clear she puts the athletic… Read more »
Katinka swims all 4 strokes so well. Hungary has a history of good medley swimmers. I wonder why?
Her Rio Olympics 400 IM was a masterpiece of swimming. She led from start to finish and no one came close to her the entire race. She won by almost 5 seconds.
Yes, she sure got her redemption in Rio!
The second half of 400IM race was the most controversial race I’ve ever seen after Ye Shiwen’s last 100 in London. But in contrast to what what said and done to Shiwen Hosszu’s surprising endurance in this just one particular race of her four in Rio went completely unnoticed. I’m positive that she will never come even close to this time again. See what will happen in Budapest next summer.
“I’m positive that she will never come even close to this time again.”
Don’t ever say that. That lady can and will surprise us even more I think…. like in Budapest 2017… 🙂
Maybe not with the 400IM but we will see…
Dear ROCKJANO you’ve found right word to describe the reaction of swimming fans and swimming experts on Hosszu’s unstoppable accelerating progression. The unprecedented progression that is not the result of puberty process of young girl and isn’t the consequence of maturing process of a teenager but the progress that started miraculously at age of 24. This word is SURPRISE.
I was impressed but wasn’t surprised with the times of Sjostrom-Ledecky duel or Sjostrom’s , Campbell’s, Ledecky’s, Peaty’s world records. But when a 27 yo swimmer during ten months drops 4% at last 200 at 400IM I’m getting very surprised. The drop that cannot be explained by great form or significant improvement of stroke technique. In Rio she skipped fly… Read more »
Such a fantastic year by Katinka. Four individual medals. Three golds. Egerszegi took three golds in 1992. Nine hour training days most of the time. Stunning!
When does she rest?