Katinka Hosszu has entered a round dozen individual events for the 2016 Short Course World Championships in a lineup that could include 28 total individual swims and up to 34 swims with relays.
The meet will swim heats and finals of all events 200 and up. Hosszu is entered in 8 such events individually, for 16 total swims. Any event 100 meters or less will run heats, semifinals and finals. Hosszu has entered 4 races in that category for 12 more swims. That’s 28 individual races at most.
Plus, Hungary has entered a women’s 4×200 free relay, a mixed 4×50 medley relay* and a mixed 4×50 free relay*. Hosszu should be a lock to swim the 4×200 free relay, especially with only 5 Hungarian women entered into the meet. She should also be very likely to swim both mixed relays, being Hungary’s best and most versatile swimmer. That would total up to 6 more swims between heats and finals of the relays. Hungary may not have the luxury of sitting its best swimmer for heats of relays, either, meaning Hosszu may have to swim both rounds of any relay that has a shot at the final. Of course, 50s aren’t totally in Hosszu’s wheelhouse, but she’s good enough at them to still be a real factor for the Hungarian spots.
*The entry lists and start lists have a discrepancy on the distance of mixed relays. Entry lists show mixed 4×100 medley and free relays, but the start lists and schedule posted on the meet website list mixed 4×50 relays in their place. We’ll go with the official schedule unless we hear differently.
Here’s a day-by-day look at what Hosszu could be taking on if she doesn’t scratch some of her races or miss a semifinal or final. The numbers listed in parentheses are how many events Hosszu would have until her next race of the session.
The big grind is Friday night, where Hosszu is slated to swim four events – semfinals of the 50 fly, finals of the 100 IM, finals of the 400 free and semifinals of the 50 back – each with only one event to rest between them.
The relays are probably the first things to be cut off this list. Hosszu would have to go back-to-back-to-back between the 200 fly, mixed 4×50 free relay and the 800 free on Wednesday morning, plus back-to-back with the 100 back and 4×50 free relay final that night. She would also have to swim the medley prelims one event after her 200 back heats Thursday morning and go back-to-back with the 800 free final and 4×50 medley relay final on Thursday night.
We’ve italicized races that seem like possible Hosszu scratches.
Tuesday Morning
- 200 free heats (3 events)
- 400 IM heats (1)
- 100 back heats
Tuesday Night
- 200 free final (3)
- 400 IM final (1)
- 100 back semifinals
Wednesday Morning
- 200 fly heats (0)
- Mixed 4×50 free relay heats (0)
- 800 free heats
Wednesday Night
- 200 fly final (5)
- 100 back final (0)
- Mixed 4×50 free relay final
Thursday Morning
- 100 IM heats (1)
- 200 back heats (1)
- Mixed 4×50 medley relay heats
Thursday Night
- 200 back final (3)
- 100 IM semifinals (1)
- 800 free final (0)
- Mixed 4×50 medley relay final
Friday Morning
- 50 back heats (1)
- 400 free heats
Friday Night
- 100 IM final (1)
- 400 free final (1)
- 50 back semifinals
Saturday Morning
- 200 IM heats (1)
- 100 fly heats (3)
- Women’s 4×200 free relay heats
Saturday Night
- 200 IM final (1)
- 100 fly semfinals (3)
- 50 back final (2)
- Women’s 4×200 free relay final
Sunday Morning
- 200 breast heats
Sunday Night
- 200 breast final (1)
- 100 fly final
Gonna need a lot of drugs…
She should just ditch the relays and the 800fr and 200br. She can limp into the finals in just about all the other events
Short course or not, this is a World Championship, where Hosszu is motivated by gold medals and record times only, so my guess is that she scratches more events than that, being good for eight individual medals, out of that for five she is the favorite.
Over the three medley events, it’s very unlikely that anybody can run up on her.
200 free, where she owns the best time of this year, is her very first event. Groves, McKeon and Sjostrom won’t be present. She only needs to watch out for Pellegrini, who won in Netanya a year ago.
The three backstroke events probably won’t bring any miracle either. Most likely Hosszu, Seebhom and Zevina will be… Read more »
Kapas will swim the relay only. She was ill before the race.
Ooops…so Hosszu is the Hungarian Team then (at least in terms of possible golds).
I don’t see how she can participate in all the events even excluding the relays and be at her best. I know not all the worlds’ top swimmers are at the meet, but I still think winning all 12 individual events is impossible.
It would the most amazing feat in our sports history or any sports for that matter
I’ve seen her swim a competition schedule that is insane. And medal in each event against some of the best in Europe. This is an incredibly tough professional adult athlete. She will be in peak condition.
She has to be: it is how she keeps a roof over her head and food on her table.
Yeah but 12 events let’s be real here