2016 Hungarian National Championships Wrap-Up: Cseh, Kapas Each Win 4

The Hungarian National Championships took place in Gyor last weekend (April 13-16) in a four-day, heats/semi-finals/finals format that nonetheless produced quite a few FINA A cuts. The Federation has now amassed a list of 33 athletes who have achieved qualifying standards for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, and head coach Andras Hargitay expects that number to increase at the European Championships in London next month. The Federation’s qualifying period extends from March 1, 2015 through July 3, 2016.

While Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu was in Mesa, Arizona at the Arena Pro Swim Series, her fellow countrymen and women were hitting Olympic qualifying standards of their own in Gyor. László Cseh, most notably, took home four gold medals to increase his lifetime tally to 99 national titles. Cseh won the 50 (23.83), 100 (51.68), and 200 (1:54.85) butterfly events as well as the 200 IM (2:00.20) in Gyor. Cseh is already on the Federation’s list, though, with the 50.87/1:53.48 he went in the 100/200 fly in Kazan, and his 1:58.31 200 IM from Eindhoven earlier this month.

Boglárka Kapás was also a four-event winner in Gyor, sweeping the 200-400-800-1500 freestyles. Kapas already had FINA A cuts in the 400 (4:06.21) and 800 (8:22.89) from Kazan last summer, and she picked up another in the 200 with her season-best 1:58.45.

The Gyurta brothers picked up a combined five national titles. Gergely Gyurta won the 400 IM in 4:14.79, coming in just ahead of Benjamin Gratz (4:15.16); both achieved FINA A standards with their swims. He then went on to take the 1500 free in 14:54.55, the seventh-fastest time in the world so far this season. Lastly he won the 800 free in 7:51.77, jumping up to the number 4 spot in world rankings. Daniel Gyurta earned gold in the 100 breast (1:01.18) and 200 breast (2:10.84).

Other notable swims:

• Éva Risztov (8:33.30) and Adél Juhász (8:33.50) both achieved FINA A cuts in the women’s 800 free, finishing second and third, respectively, behind Kapas.
• Dalma Sebestyén and Anna Sztankovics both got FINA B cuts with the exact same time of 1:08.96. Sebestyén earned hers with the top time in the semi-final while Sztankovics won the final in 1:08.96.
• Another pair of A standards came when Réka György (4:39.36) and Boglárka Kapás (4:40.25) finished second and third in the 400 IM behind Zsuzsanna Jakabos (4:39.03). Hungary now has five women under the FINA A cut in the event: Hosszu (4:29.89), Jakabos (4:37.38), Gyorgy, Kapas, and Evelyn Verraszto (4:41.77). (Four Hungarian men have qualified with A times: David Verraszto in 4:09.90, Gyurta, Gratz, and Péter Bernek with 4:16.24.)
• The most exciting men’s final was the 200 back, where the top four all finished in the 1:58s. Gábor Balog won with 1:58.02; Dávid Földházi (1:58.09) and Balázs Zámbó (1:58.14) went 2-3 to earn FINA A cuts, and Ádám Telegdy (1:58.82), fourth, just missed the standard by .60.
• Bernek (1:47.43) edged Dominik Kozma (1:47.73) in the men’s 200 free; both went season-best times and made the FINA A standard.
• Kristóf Rasovszky finished second to Gyurta in the 1500 with an A cut of 15:12.86. (Bernek, who was third in the final, earned the Olympic standard himself in Eindhoven earlier this month going 15:11.05).

Day One

Men

• 200m freestyle: Péter Bernek (BVSC Zugló) 1:47.43
• 50m back: Gabor Balog (HUN) 25.39
• 400m medley: Gergely Gyurta (UTE) 4:14.79
• 4x100m freestyle relay: Győri Swimming SE 3:22:34
  (Krisztián Takács, Gyárfás Bence, Lobanovszkij Maxim, Gabor Balog)

Women

• 50m butterfly: Liliana Szilagyi (BHSE) 27.14
• 200m breaststroke: Dalma Sebestyén (Wave 91) 2:27.47
• 400m medley: Zsuzsanna Jakabos (HUN) 4:39.03
• 1500m freestyle: Boglárka Kapás (UTE) 16:23.21
• 4x200m freestyle relay: Kiskunhalas 8:12.41
  (Janka Juhász, Luca Vas, Szilvási Greta, Adél Juhász)

Day Two

Men

• 50m freestyle: Péter Holoda (Hajdúszoboszló) 22:38
• 400m freestyle: Péter Bernek (BVSC Zugló) 3: 47.32
• 200m back: Gabor Balog (HUN) 1:58.02
• 100m butterfly: László Cseh (Eger) 51.68
• 100m breast: Daniel Gyurta (UTE) 1:01:18
• 4x200m freestyle relay: BVSC Zugló 7:26.73
  (Zoltán Drigán, Márk Papp, Valter Boldizsár, Péter Bernek)

Women

• 100m freestyle: Evelyn Verrasztó (Future SC) 55.39
• 800m freestyle: Boglárka Kapás (UTE) 8:27.14
• 100m back: György Réka (TFSE) 1:01.86
• 50m breast: Anna Sztankovics (UTE) 32.11
• 200m butterfly: Zsuzsanna Jakabos (HUN) 2:08:55

Mixed

• 4x100m medley relay: Bácsvíz-Kecskemét 3: 55.35
  (Kata Burián, Péter Tejes, Szonja Szokol, Dávid Földházi)

Day Three

Men

• 1500m freestyle: Gergely Gyurta (UTE) 14:54.55
• 200m butterfly: László Cseh (Eger) 1:54.85
• 50m breast: Gabor Financsek (Mohács) 28.33

Women

• 400m freestyle: Boglárka Kapás (UTE) 4:07.99
• 50m back: Sára Joó (FTC) 29.39
• 4x100m freestyle relay: Győr 3:48.93
  (Zsuzsanna Jakabos, Fanni Gyurinovics, Dorottya Dobos, Lee Janovitz Share)

Mixed

• 4x100m freestyle relay: Győr 3: 33.45
  (Gyárfás Bence, Krisztián Takács, Fanni Gyurinovics, Zsuzsanna Jakabos)

Day Four

Men

• 100m freestyle: Péter Holoda (Hajdúszoboszló) 49.22
• 800m freestyle: Gergely Gyurta (UTE) 7:51.77
• 100m back: Gabor Balog (HUN) 54.97
• 200m breast: Daniel Gyurta (UTE) 2:10.84
• 50m butterfly: László Cseh (Eger) 23.83
• 200m medley: László Cseh (Eger) 2:00:20
• 4x100m medley relay: Kőbánya SC 3:41.52
  (Ádám Telegdy, Dávid Horváth, Bence Pulai, Ármin Reményi)

Women

• 50m freestyle: Sára Joó (FTC) 26.26
• 200m freestyle: Boglárka Kapás (UTE) 1:58.45
• 200m back: Réka György (TFSE) 2:10.69
• 100m breast: Anna Sztankovics (UTE) 1:08.96
• 100m butterfly: Evelyn Verrasztó (The Future SC) 59.80
• 200m medley: Zsuzsanna Jakabos (HUN) 2:13:14
• 4x100m medley relay: TFSE 4:14:38
  (Eszter Szabó Feltóthy, Eszter Labán, Szimonetta Galamb, Réka György)