In a Hungarian interview with Forbes, three-time Olympic champion and 200/400 IM world record holder Katinka Hosszu said that she would likely bypass the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. This is due to the fact that she plans on having a baby with her fiancee Máté Gelencsér before then. Hosszu and Gelencsér got engaged this Janurary.
“I know the 2024 Paris Olympics are a long way from me, it’s unlikely to fit in because my fiancé and I are planning to have a baby.” Hosszu said. “Sure, it turns out the way it turns out, but I don’t think I’ll be there for the next Olympics.”
If Hosszu were to follow through with her plans, Paris 2024 will be the first time in 24 years that she will not be present at the Olympics. The Hungarian has competed in five different Olympic games: Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016, and Tokyo 2020.
In January 2022, Hosszu said that she didn’t have any imminent retirement plans, as she wanted to pursue her goal of winning 100 major international meet medals. She currently has a total of 96, coming from the Olympic Games, the long course and short course World Championships, and the long course and short course European Championships.
This year’s World Championships, in which Hoszzu is on the Hungarian roster for, gives her another opportunity to near her goal. She is slated to compete in her bread and butter events of the 200 and 400 IM, where she holds a combined nine world titles. However, last year, she had a disappointing performance at the Olympics where she finished 5th and 7th in each respectively, a far cry from her 2016 showcasing of three golds (200/400 IM, 100 back) and a silver (200 back). She’s made some improvements since Tokyo, including holding the third-fastest time in the world in the 400 IM (4:35.95), meaning that her medaling hopes are still alive.
Hosszu also said that she planned on racing the three FINA World Cup circuits this fall, which will take place Berlin, Toronto, and Indianapolis. Hosszu is no stranger to the World Cup, as she holds 307 gold medals from the event, the most out of any swimmer.
Also in the interview, Hosszu discussed opening a restaurant alongside her fiancee, her diet, and her future beyond swimming. You can read the full interview in Hungarian here.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Olympic Champ Katinka Hosszu Doesn’t Plan On Going To Paris Games