Hungarian superstar Katinka Hosszu continued her dominance in the pool with another commanding performance in the European Championships last week, and is expected to again leave her competitors in her wake when at the FINA/MASTBANK World Cup in Dubai.
Hosszu has established herself as the iron lady of world swimming and is in great form, taking three golds in the 200m and 400m individual medley (IM) and 100m backstroke, silver in the 200m freestyle and bronze in the 200m butterfly at the Europeans in Berlin.
The 25-year-old's win in the 200m IM was her third successive win in the event, and her time put her at the top of the world rankings for 2014. Her schedule, the busiest of any of the competitors in the series, often requires her to run from the finish of one race to the marshalling point of the next.
But Hosszu’s climb to the top has not all been easy, and while she is now a regular visitor to the top of the podium she has had her share of ups and downs in her career.
Like many who reach the pinnacle of their sport, staying at the top seems to be harder than getting there. After her first world title in 2009 she struggled for some time, failing to win medals in the next three major meets, the 2010 short course World Championships in Dubai, the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai and the 2012 London Olympics.
The disappointments have shaped her career though, with Hosszu working on her mental strength as well as her physical, and she is now arguably the best individual medley swimmer in the world.
She credits these disappointments with teaching her how to be successful.
“I think I may have learned just as much, if not more, from the failures of my career than the successes I have had," said Hosszu.
“I feel like the mental aspects of racing are much more important than many people think. I have a ton of first-hand experience in this field. If I was not completely focused and ready mentally for a race, it affected the results more than when I was just physically tired but mentally ready to compete.”
2014 is shaping up as another great year, with her successes in Berlin last week setting her up for a tilt at her third Swimming World Cup title when competition commences this week.
