The Strategic Shift That Made Hubert Kos a 200 Backstroke Olympic Champion

Hubert Kos stood atop the podium in Paris as Olympic champion in the men’s 200 backstroke — but just a year earlier, that wasn’t the race anyone expected him to win.

The Hungarian star had built his reputation in the IM, holding the World Junior Record in the 200 IM and competing in the event at the Tokyo Games. Yet, behind the scenes, a pivotal conversation with coach Bob Bowman set him on a different competitive course.

“Backstroke was something I was always good at, but I came from a mixed swimming school in Hungary, they always taught me medley so that I would be good at medley, because then every stroke would be good,” Kos said in an interview with Team Hungary.

For years, the IM was Kos’ bread and butter. That trajectory changed as Kos watched the rise of Leon Marchand.

“There is a Leon Marchand, who is unbeatable in the medley,” he admitted. “I also started in the medley in Tokyo, and we saw after the World Championships in Budapest, when I went out there to join that team, that you simply can’t beat that person.”

At the same time, Kos had stumbled upon an unexpected spark in another stroke. “ I won a 200 backstroke in such a random competition,” he recalled. That result was enough to make him reconsider what was possible. “So I sat down to talk to Bob [Bowman], and then I told him that I wanted to win the Olympics, that’s my goal.”

Then came Bowman’s response, “[Kos asked who he] thinks it would be easier to beat Leon in the 200 [IM] or Ryan Murphy in the 200 backstroke, who was the king of backstroke for eight years,” Kos recalled. “And Bob told me his answer afterwards, completely calmly, dead serious, and said that Ryan Murphy would clearly be easier to beat in the 200 back.”

It was a bold statement, given the resume of Murphy, one of the most decorated backstrokers in history. Kos himself admits the idea was a bit far-fetched.

“It was something that, looking back, it’s obvious that it was the easier option. But at the time, I didn’t have anything to do with the backstroke, so to speak, that I would be good at such a world-class level,” he said.

What ultimately convinced him was Bowman’s history of producing Olympic medalists.

“During the conversation, I changed my thinking, because I knew that if this is what the man who has won 30 gold medals in his career, then it must be true.”

Kos ultimately committed to the change, and the payoff came in Paris. In the 200 backstroke, he swept past the field to win the gold, confirming Bowman’s forecast and solidifying his status as one of the best in the sport.

Since then, Kos has won gold at the 2023 and 2025 World Championships. He swam 1:54.14 at the World Championships in 2023, followed by his Olympic Gold-winning 1:54.26 in Paris last summer. In August, Kos swam his lifetime best of 1:53.19 to win another major international gold medal in the 200 back.

Kos also broke Ryan Murphy’s 200 back NCAA record during the 2023-24 season, but eventually finished behind Cal’s Destin Lasco at the 2024 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships. Kos went on to reclaim gold in 2025 with a blistering 1:34.21, becoming the first swimmer ever to swim under the 1:35 mark in the event.