Hubert Kos On 200 Back Absence At Euros, “It Gave Me A Lot Of Freedom To Do Other Events”

By Anya Pelshaw on SwimSwam

2024 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

Monday, June 17th – Sunday, June 23th
Belgrade, Serbia
Prelims: 9:30 am local time/Finals: 6:30 pm local time
LCM (50 meters)
Psych Sheets 
Men’s Storylines
Women’s Storylines
Live Results
Day 1 Prelims Live Recap | Day 1 Finals Live Recap
Day 2 Prelims Live Recap | Day 2 Finals Live Recap
Day 3 Prelims Live Recap | Day 3 Finals Live Recap
Day 4 Prelims Live Recap | Day 4 Finals Live Recap
Day 5 Prelims Live Recap | Day 5 Finals Live Recap
Day 6 Prelims Live Recap | Day 6 Finals Live Recap
Day 7 Prelims Live Recap | Day 7 Finals Live Recap

MEN’S 200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY – FINAL

World Record: 1:54.00 – Ryan Lochte, USA (2011)
European Record: 1:54.82 – Leon Marchand, France (2023)
Championship Record: 1:56.66 – Laszlo Cseh, Hungary (2012)

Hubert Kos (HUN) – 1:57.21
Ron Polonsky (ISR) – 1:57.36
Berke Saka (TUR) – 1:58.62
Dominik Torok (HUN) – 1:58.89
Jeremy Desplanches (SUI) – 1:59.04
Gabriel Lopes (POR) – 1:59.89
Vadym Naumenko (UKR) – 2:00.47
Daniil Giourtzidis (GRE) – 2:01.31

2023 World Campion Hubert Kos recently announced his transfer from Arizona State to Texas, following head coach Bob Bowman. Kos represented Hungary this week at the 2024 European Championships with his highest finishes coming with gold in the 200 IM and silver in the 100 fly.

Kos just finished his sophomore season with Arizona State and made headlines at the Pac-12 Championships as he broke Ryan Murphy‘s 200 backstroke NCAA record. Kos went on to finish 2nd in the 200 backstroke at NCAAs.  Kos spoke on the move from Hungary to Arizona State and now Texas as well as the upcoming training camp with Bowman.

“It’s so hard, swimming with all these guys and swimming with Bob. I was obviously training in Hungary for the past 10-15 years or whatever, whenever I started swimming. I guess it’s such a different type of training that we get with Bob and such a different kind of intensity that comes with it. It was hard to get a grasp of it in the beginning. But once I did, it’s just so much better to do because it was shorter distances and swimming faster and it’s more like racing, which is what I like. But yeah, I’m going to the last part of the training camp now tomorrow morning and, and Bob’s going to meet me there. So we’re going to have a good, good run into the Olympics”

Despite being the 2023 World Champion in the 200 backstroke, Kos was not entered in the event in Serbia. He also scratched the 100 backstroke, instead opting for the 200 IM that took place in all three of the same sessions as the 100 backstroke. Even without the 200 backstroke, Kos’s lineup still featured a busy schedule with 17 total swims. In addition to his 200 IM win, he won silver behind Kristof Milak in the 100 butterfly. Kos spoke on his event lineup in Belgrade and the absence of the 200 backstroke.

“Obviously it’s Bob’s plan. So Bob has a plan for all of us…Sometimes I feel like it was a tactical decision not to do it, obviously to see what I could do in all these other events without having that as as like an overbearing sort of goal to do well in that [the 200 backstroke]. It gave me a lot of freedom to do other events like the 100 fly, which really I thought I did really well in and the 200 IM obviously in the last day. So that was definitely part of it.”

With just over a month until the Paris Olympics begin, Kos will begin his final preparations.

“I don’t think there’s anything specific we can work on anymore. It’s just, you know, it’s just the run and we’ve already done the work. It’s it’s just about getting ready for for, for Paris and putting in the finishing touches.”

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Hubert Kos On 200 Back Absence At Euros, “It Gave Me A Lot Of Freedom To Do Other Events”