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Hosszu Not Defending 100 Back & Other Gold Medals Up For Grabs

2021 TOKYO SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES

  • When: Pool swimming: Saturday, July 24 – Sunday, August 1, 2021
    • Open Water swimming: Wednesday, August 4 – Thursday, August 5, 2021
  • Where: Olympic Aquatics Centre / Tokyo, Japan
  • Heats: 7 PM / Semifinals & Finals: 10:30 AM (Local time)
  • Full aquatics schedule
  • Initial Entries

Now that the initial entries for the 2020 Olympic Games have been published the glaring holes of non-repeat gold medalists in certain events are even more apparent. Let’s take a look at two of the women’s events of the 100m back and 200m fly.

When the Hungarian Swimming Federation revealed its 36-strong roster for Tokyo, the events listed for 32-year-old Katinka Hosszu included the 200m back, 200m fly, 200m IM and 400m IM, leaving the 100m back off the table. ‘Iron Lady’ Hosszu is the reigning Olympic gold medalist in the 100m back, having topped the podium in Rio with a time there of 58.45.

With the Hosszu’s event lineup confirmed via the published entries, we’re now going to be looking at a new 100m backstroke gold medalist on the women’s side.

Still dominant in the IM events, Hosszu’s career has taken a detour in the sprint backstroke event from her once-dominant days. While at the 2017 FINA World Championships she claimed a haul of 4 medals, that total was cut in half two years later at the 2019 edition. There in Gwangju, Hosszu still raked in 200m IM and 400m IM gold, but placed 8th in the 200m back and wound up dropping the 100m back altogether.

The story was similar for this year’s European Championships, where Hosszu stuck to her bread-and-butter IM events, claiming gold in the long and bronze in the short, while also snagging 200m fly silver but opting out of the 100m back.

From a timeline perspective, Hossszu’s yearly 100m back best times took the following track:

  • 2017: Ranked 6th in the world, best time of 58.80
  • 2018: Ranked 17th in the world, best time of 59.63
  • 2019: Ranked 17th in the world, best time of 59.48
  • 2020: Ranked outside top 25, best time of 1:01.24
  • 2021: Ranked outside of top 25, best time of 1:01.88

Hosszu’s journey in the 100m back mirrors another non-repeat Olympic medalist’s journey in another event, that being Mireia Belmonte of Spain in the 200m fly.

Belmonte soared to 200m fly gold in Rio with a time of 2:04.85 but has faltered in the event ever since.

We’ve documented how the now-30-year-old has dealt with an ongoing set of injuries, including bursitis in her shoulder. In addition to withdrawing from prestigious competitions in the past, such as the 2018 European Championships she did the same this time around to preserve her strength for Tokyo as she will be racing the 400m IM, 800m free and 1500m free events at the Games.

Although Belmonte immediately followed up her Olympic gold with a world title in Budapest in the 200m fly, she fell to 16th in the event two years later in Gwangju. Belmonte wasn’t able to hit the FINA ‘A’ cut of 2:08.43 in the event during the qualification period, as her 200m fly timeline followed this track:

  • 2017: Ranked 1st in the world, best time of 2:05.26
  • 2018: Ranked 5th in the world, best time of 2:07.09
  • 2019: Ranked outside top 25, best time of 2:11.42
  • 2020: Ranked outside top 25, best time of 2:12.34
  • 2021: Ranked outside top 25, best time of 2:13.39

But Hosszu and Belmonte aren’t the only active swimmers who will not seek to defend their gold from 2016. We wrote about how 400m IM man Kosuke Hagino of Japan has opted out of that even, for instance.

In terms of other non-repeat winners, here is what we’re looking at:

  • Men’s 50m free – Anthony Ervin (USA), did not make this year’s team
  • Men’s 200m free – Sun Yang (CHN), serving 4-year and 3-month suspension
  • Men’s 400m free – Mack Horton (AUS), did not make team in this event
  • Men’s 200m fly – Michael Phelps (USA), retired
  • Men’s 200m IM – Michael Phelps (USA), retired
  • Men’s 400m IM – Kosuke Hagino (JPN), did not swim event at JPN Trials
  • Women’s 100m free – Simone Manuel (USA), did not make team in this event *although CAN’s Penny Oleksiak, co-gold medalist, will still be racing
  • Women’s 100m back – Katinka Hosszu (HUN)
  • Women’s 200m back – Maya DiRado (USA), retired
  • Women’s 200m breast – Rie Kaneto (JPN), retired
  • Women’s 100m fly – Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), entered but her swimming the event is not confirmed
  • Women’s 200 fly – Mireia Belmonte (ESP), did not make team in this event

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Swimmer
3 years ago

She won’t contest in the 200 back either, finals may even be a struggle for her

Chris
3 years ago

i’m curious to see if she can hold back alex and kate in the 200 IM at 32 years old. I see a potential gold/silver from the USA there.

Casas 100 back gold in Fukuoka
Reply to  Chris
3 years ago

Kaylee McKeown? Yui Ohashi? Sydney Pickrem? Abbie Wood?
You know Hosszu is not the only elite international IMer right?

Last edited 3 years ago by Casas 100 back gold in Fukuoka
Chris
Reply to  Casas 100 back gold in Fukuoka
3 years ago

nah bruh they got nothing on the Hoos

Troyy
Reply to  Chris
3 years ago

‘Murica!

John
3 years ago

Hosszu article? Chance of a Yozhik sighting just increased 10-fold!

Yozhik
Reply to  John
3 years ago

That is just for John about carefully cultivated by media the myth about Hosszu’s dominance in IM event. Do you know that during post high-tech suits years Hosszu had only 5 times of 12 the #1 ranking?

John
Reply to  Yozhik
3 years ago

Ask me if it matters….

Stephen
3 years ago

The 57’s told her no thank you.

Smith-King-Huske-Manuel
3 years ago

The women’s 200 meter butterfly semifinals precedes the women’s 200 meter individual medley final during the same session (Wed, 28 Jul).

https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/swimming/olympic-schedule-and-results.htm

That’s a brutal double for Katinka Hosszu at the age of 32.

Stephen
Reply to  Smith-King-Huske-Manuel
3 years ago

Miss McKeown is doing damage b4 the games start.

Smith-King-Huske-Manuel
Reply to  Stephen
3 years ago
Stephen
Reply to  Smith-King-Huske-Manuel
3 years ago

Final night sees 50’s free and medley relays …that’s gonna test quite a few swimmers.

Emg1986
Reply to  Smith-King-Huske-Manuel
3 years ago

If I remember Hosszu left the lane empty in the 200 fly in 2016.

SwimJon
3 years ago

And Simone Manuel is out of the 100 free

Chad
Reply to  SwimJon
3 years ago

Oleksiak is still there though

Retta Race
Reply to  Chad
3 years ago

That was my mentality…but I’ll add Manuel and make a note

Swimjon
Reply to  Chad
3 years ago

True! But the ‘still in it’ is another article!

Taa
3 years ago

Its really really hard to repeat as a gold medalist. Hozzsu I think maybe can make the podium in the 200IM but thats it. Schooling I think 27th place in prelims.

Chalmers has a pretty good shot. Ledecky and King probably.

Swim nerd
Reply to  Taa
3 years ago

It would be an absolute shock if ledecky does not three peat in the 800

frug
Reply to  Taa
3 years ago

I think the Iron Lady has at least a chance in the 400 IM (it helps the race is on night 1).

Also, Peatty should easily repeat in the 100 breast.

Taa
Reply to  frug
3 years ago

Yea Peatty is another. I was thinking about Murphy if the Russian are off he is at as close as Chalmers is.

Chris
Reply to  frug
3 years ago

that’s a very long race for a 32 year old. I see Weyent beating her.

Jeki
Reply to  Taa
3 years ago

I think Hosszu has better chance in the 400IM. I only consider Ohashi or a Chinese girl dangerous.
200 IM is much more open, I think Mckeown is the favourite but everybody on the podium will be happy to be able to get there.

RMS
3 years ago

She’s gonna be lucky if she even gets on the podium this year. Too much young talent this time around.

Yozhik
Reply to  RMS
3 years ago

It feels like a correct prediction. But it’s not like we have a wave of young talents. There is still no progress in women IM events. Results have even bounced back since previous Olympics (London, Rio). That is Hosszu who became slow with age.

Troyy
Reply to  RMS
3 years ago

The talent hasn’t improved. Hosszu just got old.

swimfast
Reply to  Troyy
3 years ago

This is true in most events but definitely not the 100 back.

Troyy
Reply to  swimfast
3 years ago

Yes, but she’s not competing in the 100 back.

About Braden Keith

Braden Keith

Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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