Hungary has become a dominant country on the swimming circuit with both female and male swimmers rising to the challenge, competing and shattering records across the world. This shift in domination has been aided by Daniel Gyurta, a billed star-in-the-making and one of the most consistent 200m breaststrokers in the sport. The Olympic champion is no stranger to the Middle East, having medalled at the 2010 FINA Swimming World Championship in Dubai and taking gold in the 2012 FINA World Championship in Istanbul. This week he hopes to add a few more medals to his count by taking on the best of the best at the FINA Mastbank Swimming World Cup 2014 – Doha, August 27-28.
Before arriving in Qatar, the 200m breaststroke World Record holder (short course) spoke with the event’s Local Organising Committee, unveiling what he hopes to accomplish during the World Cup.
“I never tell people my targets exactly, keeping them my personal secret but I intend to improve my current results and my racing style in Doha. I pay attention to other swimmers’ preparations and races and learn from them, but I don’t change my preparation if I’m achieving good results. Right now I’m right on track and where I need to be.”
“I continuously receive help from my team to make sure I am physically prepared for a race, but I am lucky that I can handle the mentally difficult situations and pressure as well. I always just keep my eyes on the target.”
As well as the FINA Mastbank Swimming World Cup, Doha will also host the FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) from 3-7 December and become the only city in FINA’s history to host both events in the same year.
“I am very lucky to have the chance to swim at Hamad Aquatic Centre during the World Cup as it will give me feedback about what the conditions are like and what kind of times can be achieved ahead of the World Championships in December. The World Cup and World Championships sit in an important part of the Olympic cycle, so we’ll be using both events to get some feedback,” Gyurta added.
Fans should look out for the Hungarian’s unique racing style – starting out slow, Gyurta excels in the second part of a race, coming back strong. He will be joined at the Hamad Aquatic Centre in Doha by other notable swimmers including multiple World Record holder and teammate Katinka Hozzsu who will be defending her overall FINA Swimming World Cup title, and South Africa’s four-time Olympian, Roland Schoeman.
Khaleel al-Jabir, President, Qatar Swimming Association spoke of the free-to-attend FINA Mastbank Swimming World Cup, saying: “Gyurta is one of many fantastic swimmers that we can’t wait to welcome to Qatar this month. As the first stop in the FINA Mastbank Swimming World Cup series, we know that swimmers are looking to put their training to the test at our world class swimming facility. It’s a great chance for fans around the world to celebrate the sport of swimming and all the hard work these athletes put in to perform at their best.”
The FINA Mastbank World Cup event is free to attend with tickets available for collection at the Hamad Aquatic Centre from August 25 – 26. Find out more at www.qatarswimming.com. Follow us @SWC_Doha on Twitter, and search for FINA Mastbank Swimming World Cup Doha Qatar on Facebook.