Earlier this week, the Hungarian Swimming Federation finalized its roster of 24 swimming athletes for the 2026 European Championships in Paris. The Hungarians, who topped the medal table at the 2024 iteration of the event, will return with all their heaviest hitters in the pool and in open water.
In the pool, Olympic Gold Medalists Kristof Milak and Hubert Kos will lead the way in Paris, but perhaps not as a unified front. Earlier this week, backstroke stud Kos put his butterflier teammate Milak on blast in the media for reportedly not participating in their country’s relays next week. Nonetheless, the two gentlemen enter the meet as heavy medal favorites in multiple events. Paris will be a family affair for Kos, as his brother Oli was named as a relay-only swimmer for the championships.
Looking to open water, Hungary could find plenty of more medalists in this discipline with an utterly stacked team. On the men’s side, David Betlehem has a target on his back after a lights-out World Cup season that saw him top the world rankings and the overall cup. In those same rankings, Olympic champion Kristof Rasovszky comes in at #5, who also appears on the open water and pool roster for Hungary.
Hungary’s women’s open water squad also boasts to global top 10s. Accomplished pool athlete Viktoria Mihalyvari made her open water breakout in the last year by scoring two individual medals at this year’s World Cup series. She’s joined by Bettina Fabian, who has a mountain of momentum on her side after medaling in both events at the most recent World Cup stop in Portugal.
After suffering a finger injury during the spring qualification period, Minna Abraham received a vote of confidence from her federation by being granted a spot on the team. She, alongside fellow NCAA mid-d standout Nikolett Padar, will lead a competitive 200 free contingent (and most likely 800 free relay) for the Hungarians.
Full Roster:
Pool Team
Men: Dávid Betlehem, Hubert Kós, Kristóf Milák, Richárd Márton, Nándor Németh, Olivér Pápai, Zsombor Rácz, Kristóf Rasovszky, Zalán Sárkány
Women: Minna Ábrahám, Vivien Jackl, Boróka Kertész, Fanni Kokas, Nikolett Pádár, Petra Senánszky, Eszter Szabó-Feltóthy, Panna Ugrai
Relay-Only: Ádám Jászó, Ajna Késely, Olivér Kós, Szebasztián Szabó
Open Water Team
Men: Dávid Betlehem, Hunor Kovács-Seres, Kristóf Rasovszky
Women: Bettina Fábián, Viktória Mihályvári-Farkas
See SwimSwam full index of 2026 European Championships rosters here.
