Viktória Mihályvári-Farkas & Kristof Rasovszky Strike Historic Gold For Hungary At European Open Water Championships
Viktória Mihályvári-Farkas and Kristof Rasovszky made it double gold for Hungary when they won their respective 10k races on the opening day of the European Aquatics Open Water Swimming Championships in Croatia.
Mihályvári-Farkas became the first Hungarian swimmer to win the 10k at the European Open Water Championships since its inception in 1989, also in Stari Grad. Rasovszky claimed his first European 10k title which he added to his Olympic and world crowns and looking on was Gergely Kutasi, who coaches both swimmers.
The women’s race was up first in Stari Grad, on the island of Hvar, with 29 women lining up. Mihályvári-Farkas moved from 11th to first after three of the six laps but the 21-year-old found herself fifth at the end of the penultimate circuit, 4.53secs off Italian leader Ginevra Taddeucci. Mihályvári-Farkas moved past the four women ahead of her to touch the panel in 1:57:27.54 in only her 2nd international 10k to add to her pool silverware from the 2020 and 2022 European Championships in Budapest and Rome.
Viktoria Mihalyvari-Farkas: Photo Courtesy: Aniko Kovacs, Hungarian Swimming Federation
Olympic bronze medallist Taddeucci was second, 2.86secs behind, in 1:57: 30.35 with Germany’s Lea Boy next home in 1:57:34.38. Maria de Valdes Alvarez was DQd after she and Bettina Fabian were both yellow-carded after a coming together in the first half of the race before the Spaniard obstructed the Hungarian when turning to the finish line. Three women – including Paris Olympian Leah Crisp – DNF.
“It was a very difficult race,” Mihályvári-Farkas said through the Hungary federation. “We were able to succeed because we managed to stick to the tactics we had discussed, which was to be in front and control the race. All the more so because I don’t really know how to fight, I like to fight. I tried to stay out of all this and swim in the lead, dictating the pace. When I got ahead in the third, fourth, fifth lap, I pulled the field a little bit so that we wouldn’t arrive in a bigger pile for the last lap. I knew that everyone would move there, and I had the feeling that maybe I didn’t know as much as the others.
“And really everyone started to move while we started to muscle with a Spaniard, but since everyone started to move in one direction, I decided to jump over it quickly and try to swim as close to them as possible and get back to the front. The last straight was very long, but I only looked at the two red cones and kept saying to myself, come on, it’s almost over, just hold on – and of course I hoped that they weren’t so on me. And they weren’t, and they succeeded, and this means a lot to me now, because this is open water, anything can happen here at any time. Today I was the best, and it’s a huge feeling because I came back from a very deep place and now I feel like I’m moving in the right direction.”
Rasovszky Wins As Fontaine Comes Through
Kristof Rasovszky: Photo Courtesy: Aniko Kovacs, Hungarian Swimming Federation
Rasovszky was in the top three throughout the men’s race. Second at halfway behind leader Gregorio Paltrinieri, the Olympic champion led at the end of the penultimate lap. He went on to take the title in 1:47:23.68 as a battle royale unfolded behind him. Logan Fontaine – winner of the 5k at the 2024 worlds in Doha – was 10th at halfway and sixth going into the last lap, the Frenchman picking off the field to come home in second in 1:26.05. Marc-Antoine Olivier was third (1:47:26.18) took third followed by Paltrinieri who was given the photo finish by the narrowest of margins ahead of teammate Andrea Filadelli in 1:47:26.27 to 1:47:26.28.
Rasovszky has previously won three continental golds across team and 5k but Wednesday marked his first trip to the top of the 10k podium.
He said through the Hungary federation: “The last time I won a European Championship medal in an individual event was seven years ago, and in Glasgow it was silver in addition to the gold medals in the other two events, so it is really the case that in the meantime I have already become world champion and Olympic champion in this distance, and the only thing missing was this European Championship gold. I’m very happy that I have this, because my goal was to tick it off during my career, if there was a way to do it. It was not an easy race, the water was quite undulating, but this is usually in my favour, as it is now. We tried to swim at a fast enough pace with David (Bethlehem), which worked, because by the end everyone was tired enough that they couldn’t fight with full strength anymore. And I still had enough in me to be able to keep the lead starting from the front.”