Kristof Milak Wins Two Events at Day 1 of Hungarian Olympic Prep Meet

2021 Olympic Preparation Competition

• February 16-17, 2021
• Tüske Swimming Pool, Budapest, Hungary
• Long Course Meters
• Results

The Hungarian Swimming Association is holding a special “Olympic preparation” meet in Budapest this week on Tuesday and Wednesday. The association has put the meet together to give Hungarian swimmers a chance to compete in long course as opportunities to race have been limited due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The events are limited to the top 30 swimmers per event nationally with many of the top Hungarian athletes competing. The meet is being held as “timed finals” with a morning and afternoon session each day.

The Tuesday morning session consisted of one event, the 1500 freestyle. The men’s event was won by 17-yr old Zalán Sárkány in 15:44.44. This is Sárkány’s second best time in the 1500 as he swam 15:36.98 last summer. Sárkány was followed in second by Peter Bérnek (15:57.08) and third by Ákos Okos (16:09.45). Bérnek was well off his best of 15:11.05 but it appears that this is the first time he has swum the long course 1500 in almost four years. This was only the second time Okos has swum the 1500, the first coming in 2015. He dropped over a minute from his previous best of 17:24.06. 

In the women’s 1500 was won by Ajna Késely in 16:37.06, well off her best of 15:54.48 from the 2019 World Championships. The Iron Lady, Katinka Hosszú came in second in 16:53.03 and Réka Rohács placed third in 17:00.86. All three women were under the Olympic Selection Time of 17:01.80 with Késely just five seconds off the OQT of 16:32.04.

As Tuesday morning featured only the 1500, the emphasis in the afternoon session were the 50 meter events along with the 400 IM.

50 Butterfly

The women’s race featured a tight battle as Beatrix Bordás got to the wall in 27.20 just out-touching Mónika Ollé by 0.01. Hosszú came in third in 27.92. Bordás was more than a second slower off her best of 26.14 from 2017. 

Kristóf Milák won the men’s event in 24.08 followed by Péter Holoda in 24.26 and Nándor Németh placed third in 24.30.

50 Backstroke

Katalin Burián had a convincing swim as she touched first in 28.82, nearly a second ahead of Hosszú (29.63) and a tenth off her best of 28.72. Hosszú finished just ahead of Lora Komoróczy (29.71).

Benedek Kovács won the men’s 50 back in 26.12. Németh, swimming his second event of the day placed second in 26.33 and Richárd Bohus came in third in 26.37. 6-time Olympic medalist László Cseh placed fifth in 26.78

50 Breaststroke

The women’s race was decided by less than a tenth of a second as Fanni Gyurinovics finished first in 32.89 followed just behind by Ivett Szurovcsák in 32.95. Hosszú rounded up third in 34.38.

The men’s race saw the top three finishers separated by 0.10 seconds. Dávid Horváth came in first in 29.23, just 0.01 ahead of Martin Szöllösi in 29.24 and Tamás Takács in 29.34.

50 Freestyle

Petra Senánszky took the women’s event in 25.77, close to her best of 25.62. Gyurinovics claimed her second top-3 finish of the meet in 26.16 while Ollé came in third in 26.74, just 0.02 off her best of 26.72.

Milák won his second event of the day, touching first with a personal best time of 22.66 and under the OST of 22.67. Milák crushed his best time from December as this was his first time under 23. Milák was followed by Németh in second (22.72) and Holoda in third (22.95).

400 IM

Hosszú, living up to her nickname and swimming her sixth event of the day, took home the women’s 400 IM in 4:43.94, about a second off the 4:42.96 she swam in Nice ten days ago.  Eszter Szabó-Feltóthy placed second in 4:47.98 just missing the OST and seven seconds off her best. Dóra Hatházi touched third in a best time of 4:59.01, taking over 11 seconds off her previous best from 2016.

Dávid Verrasztó claimed the men’s 400 IM in 4:13.80, clearing the OQT time. Verrasztó was followed by Adám Telegdy (4:19.12) in second. Telegy, who hasn’t swum this event in over nine years, dropped 30 seconds from his previous best of 4:49.46. Dominik Márk Török finished third in 4:21.08.