2014 Swammy Awards: European Female Swimmer of the Year

To see all of the 2014 Swammy Award winners, presented by TYR, click here.

2014 HONOREE: Katinka Hosszu, Hungary

It is not much of a surprise that our choice for European Female Swimmer of the Year is Katinka Hosszu after all the Hungarian was named FINA’s Swimmer of the Year in December.

Hosszu had another incredible year showing off her versatility. She took the FINA World Cup title for the third year in row destroying her competition in the overall standings. She finished the circuit with a total of 994 point while the next closest competitor, Inge Dekker, collected 372.

She also earned $389,000 in prize money putting her over the one million dollar mark for her career.

Hosszu finished off her short course season by winning gold in the 100 and 200 backstroke as well as the 100 and 200 IM at the World Short Course Championships in Doha. She also set new world records in all four events.

Adding to her medal collection she earned silver in the 200 butterfly, 200 freestyle and 400 IM as well as a bronze in the 50 backstroke.

At the European Championships in Berlin she won gold in the 200 and 400 IM and tied Mie Nielsen for the win in the 100 backstroke. She also took silver in the 200 freestyle and a bronze in the 200 butterfly.

In 2014 she set new short course world records in the 100 and 200 backstroke along with the 100, 200 and 400 IM (Mireia Belmonte Garcia eventually broke her mark in the 400 IM). She also set a total of 17 Hungarian national records, eleven short course and six long course.

HONORABLE MENTIONS (IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER)

• Spaniard Mireia Belmonte Garica won the 400 and 800 freestyle, 200 butterfly and 400 IM at the World Short Course Championships in Doha. At the same competition she set new world records in the 200 butterfly and 400 IM and went on to break the 1500 freestyle world record at the Spanish Championships the next weekend. She also collected gold in the 1500 freestyle and 200 butterfly as well as silver in the 400 IM and 800 freestyle and bronze in the 400 freestyle at the European Championships in Berlin. Belmonte also finished in a tie for third in the World Cup rankings.
• Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden won the 200 freestyle as well as the 50 and 100 butterfly at the World Short Course Championships in Doha setting new world records in both the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly. She also earned a silver in the 100 freestyle. At the European Championships in Berlin the Swede collected gold in the 100 freestyle, 50 butterfly and 4 x 100 freestyle relay along with silver in the 50 freestyle, 100 butterfly, 4 x 100 medley relay and the 4 x 200 freestyle relay. Sjostrom was also the only European female to break a long course world record setting a new mark in the women’s 50 butterfly.