World Champion Boglarka Kapas Tests Negative for Coronavirus after Quarantine

Hungarian swimmer Boglarka Kapas has tested negative for coronavirus, and her 14 day isolation is (almost) over. She will take a second test on Friday, and if that one is also clear, she can be declared cured. Kapas is the highest-level active swimmer to have announced a positive test for coronavirus.

Announced via a Facebook live video this afternoon, Kapas said that she is officially coronavirus free, and without facing any serious symptoms of the COVID-19 disease that is ravaging the world.

The 27-year old Kapas, who is the defending World Champion in the 200 fly, is one of at least 9 international-level Hungarian swimmers and coaches who tested positive for coronavirus. That number, according to Csaba Sos, eventually grew to 15. Testing was done as part of a Hungarian protocol that required swimmers to test negative twice before entering any of the 5 National training facilities that were available at the time.

In addition to Kapas, Richard Bohus, Dominik Kozma, and David Horvath all also announced positive tests.

On April 1st, the Hungarian Swimming Association cancelled all training until April 15th. At that time, the federation declared that national team athletes and their coaches would be required to go under another test, including a blood test, for the virus before they would be allowed to resume pool training.

On Thursday, the Hungarian Swimming Association said that they would not finance costs related to the operation of the national team until April 27th, 2020, and that the shutdown has been extended until April 27th.

Richard Bohus said on Thursday that his team will begin training again on April 27th, presuming they produce two negative tests. He will have his first test on Friday, April 17th. His girlfriend took tests after he first tested positive, and the result of 3 tests was negative.

While Dominik Kozma and Peter Nagy, his training partner and coach, both tested positive, his roommate for two-and-a-half weeks at a training camp in Thailand Peter Bernek tested negative, so Bohus suspects that he became infected at the airport or since he came home.

He hasn’t left his apartment since March 31st.

Bohus says that if it were up to him, the European Championships would not be held this year.

The science is still unclear on whether having coronavirus once provides immunity from contracting it again.