Padar and Abraham Elevate Hungary’s 800 Relay With 200 Free Co-Victory At Europe U23 Champs

2025 LEN U23 European Championships

• Thursday, June 26 – Saturday, June 28
• X-bionic® sphere Pool, Šamorín, Slovakia
• LCM (50m)
• Start Times – Local: Prelims – 9:30 am / Finals – 6:00 pm
• Start Times – EST: Prelims – 3:30 am / Finals – 12:00 pm
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• Livestream (Pay-To-Watch)
• Recaps:
  • Prelims: Day 1 | Day 2
  • Finals: Day 1

Hungarian swimmers Nikolett Padar and Minna Abraham, both 19 years of age, tied for 200 free gold at the U23 European Championships yesterday, showing promise for their country’s 4×200 freestyle relay in this quad.

Last year, the only medal the Hungarian women won at any major global meet came from this relay. On home turf at the 2024 Short Course Worlds in Budapest, Padar and Abraham led Hungary to a silver in the 800 free relay behind the U.S. Though it marked a new national record for the Hungarians, most of the competing countries, apart from Hungary, didn’t bring their heaviest hitters.

After yesterday, however, Hungary has a solid two-person base to build from and face tougher competition. Abraham and Padar clocked twin best times of 1:56.03 yesterday. Padar shaved a tenth off her best from the Paris Olympics, while Abraham dropped over a second from her 1:57.23 best from the 2024 European Championships.

While a pair of 1:56.0’s doesn’t put Hungary in the same stratosphere as the event’s superpowers – Australia, China, and the United States – it does place them squarely in the next tier of relay squads, alongside Canada and Great Britain. In fact, Padar and Abraham’s add-up beats out the top two Canadian and Brit add-ups by over a second (side-by-side comparison later).

Behind the new Europe U23 co-champions, Hungary finds a reliable third leg in 20-year-old Panna Ugrai. On an improvement curve in her primary stroke, the butterfly, Ugrai has reliably thrown down competitive 200 free splits for Hungary at the Olympics and at 2024 Worlds in Budapest. Her best time from 2024 sits at 1:58.07, and this year she hit 1:58.55 at Hungarian Nationals to upset Padar for the national title.

There are two front-runners for Hungary’s fourth leg of the 800 free relay this year. One of them is 400 freestyle national record holder Ajna Kesely. Kesely boasts a lifetime best of 1:57.10, though that time comes from 2017, and this year she has been battling vertebrae problems. She hasn’t swum the 200 free yet this season, and she split 1:59.45 in Paris last year.

Backstroker Dora Molnar is another fourth leg option. Molnar came in third in the event at the 2025 Hungarian Nationals with a time of 2:00.21, and she went as fast as 1:58.95 at the same meet in 2024.

Below are the top four 200 swimmer add-ups for Hungary, Britain, and Canada. Summer McIntosh’s future event line-up poses a big question mark for Canada, and they’d instantly become the favorites of these three if she decides to swim this relay. Regardless, Hungary and Britain look to duke it out to reign as Europe’s fastest 800 free relay for the next quad. All three of them will be battling to swoop in for a medal in upcoming international meets should China, the U.S., or Australia falter.

4×200 freestyle add-ups this season:

Traditionally an IM power country, Hungary’s women are making strides in freestyle. This event is emerging as the team’s best current pool event, while Bettina Fabian and Viktoria Mihalyvari dominated the European Open Water Championships a few weeks ago.