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Agnes Kovacs from Hungary was born in 1981 and is one of the most successful young swimmers around today. Coached by Laszlo Kiss, one of Hungary's
most successful coaches, Kovacs has beaten most of the world's best, including Penny Heyns and Sam Reilly. Her style is smooth, innovative and highly
technical. She has broken world, European, national and various championship records. Now only 17, it will be interesting to see what Kovacs can achieve at
the 2000 Olympics, not to mention the 2004 Olympics.
Fast Facts
1995, was the year it all began for Agnes Kovacs ... Winning the 100 metres breaststroke on the 1995 European Youth Championships, she grabbed her first gold medal. Few people realized that a new goddess was taking her first steps into the Swimming Walhalla ... A new era of women's breaststroke was about to begin ! The same year she also made herself conspicuous in the international swimming scene ... Barely fourteen years old, she finished third on the 100 metres breaststroke during the European Swimming Championships. Now everybody was convinced that this girl was definitely one to watch for the future ... 1996, the sky is the limit ... In 1996 the Centennial Olympics took place in Atlanta, USA ... Agnes first managed to reach the finals of the 100 metres breaststroke, in which she clinched the seventh place. A few days later the 15-year-old Hungarian girl surpassed herself ... By grabbing the bronze medal she entered the Olympic Hall of Fame! The Breaststroke Dynasty has found a new descendant ... 1997, dreams can come true ... Sevilla ... in the 1997 European Championships Agnes fulfilled one of her biggest dreams : when she returned to Budapest, she carried two golden medals with her. The Breaststroke Princess had reigned over the 100 and the 200 metres breaststroke and the Hungarian national anthem had filled the Spanish sky twice ! 1998, Down Under ... the story continues ... Swimming has always taken an important place in Austriala's sportsscene. Australia, homebase of many great athletes like Ian Thorpe, Grant Hackett, Michael Klim, Susie O'Neill, Matt Welsh and last but not least swimming legend Aleksandr Popov. This year Perth, one of Austrialia's biggest cities, hosted the Long Course Swimming Worldchampionships. Kovacs, tipped as one of the favourites for winning both 100 and 200 metres breaststroke, missed her start in the 100 metres, but took revenge a few days later, by outshining all her opponents in the 200 metres. 1999, Kovacs sets the Istanpool on fire ... For a while, it had become quiet around Agnes Kovacs. Before going to Istanbul, where the 1999 European Championships took place, Agnes tested in a few courses of the Mare Nostrum Tour. A few weeks later Agnes would prove she was still the number one in Europe ... Many people also noticed that the pretty little girl had become a lovely young lady. Nevertheless, her Killer Instinct and excellent technique were still there and this she showed by winning three golden medals : as expected Kovacs was in a class of her own as a swimmer in the 100 and 200 metres breastroke, but she surprised even her fans by also winning the 50 metres! 2000,a new European Record and Olympic Gold ! The Sydney International Aquatic Centre will always be a special place for Agnes, I suppose ... Being fifth in the 100 metres, she fell short of the crowd's expectations, but in the 200 metres breaststroke she straightened things out and grabbed her first Olympic gold medal, the sixth for her coach Laszlo Kiss, who also trained the legendary Krisztina Egerszegi. |
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Kovács Ágnes |
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