Boglárka Kapás On The Inspiration Of Krisztina Egerszegi, Standout Career Moments & “Remembering Everything”
Boglárka Kapás was five when she watched a film about Krisztina Egerszegi, her fellow Hungarian and five-time Olympic champion.
It lit a fire in the youngster who would go on to win Olympic bronze at Rio 2016 as well as securing world and European titles before drawing the curtain on a fine career at the 2024 short-course worlds in Budapest.
Egerszegi was the first swimmer to claim five individual golds in the Olympic pool and only the second to win the same event at three straight Games when she won the 200m backstroke at Seoul 1988, Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996.
Krisztina Egerszegi – Photo Courtesy: Arena/Hungarian Swimming Federation
With that she moved alongside Australian great Dawn Fraser, who won three consecutive 100 free titles starting in 1956, with only Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky also achieving that feat.
Known as “Eger”, Hungarian for mouse, to her teammates, she was the mouse who roared.
Kapás was only three when Egerszegi retired following the Atlanta Games but she described her as the biggest influence on her career, and not only because of her achievements in the pool.
She told Swimming World:
“She was my role model since I was five. Not only because she won five Olympic golds but because she was always so nice with other people.
“I was born in 1993 so I didn’t see her live on TV but I saw a documentary with her when I was five, I saw that like 100 times I think, and I just wanted to be like her in every way.”
Kapás Navigates International Waters
Kapás made her Olympic debut at Beijing 2008, the first of her five Games across which she reached six finals.
Two years later at the 2010 Youth Olympics in Singapore, the 17-year-old won the 200 fly in 2:08.72, 1.39secs ahead of Spain’s Judit Ignacio who’d go on to be crowned world junior champion the following year and become a double European medallist.
She enjoyed a winning margin of almost four seconds in the 400 free while also taking silver in the 200 free behind China’s Tang Li, who would win 100 free bronze at London 2012, with a certain Emma McKeon taking bronze.
That same year, Kapás would reach the senior podium at the European Short-Course Championships with silver in the 800 free behind Federica Pellegrini with Gráinne Murphy third.
That was the start of silverware across different disciplines and distances.
There was bronze in the 800 free at Rio 2016 behind Ledecky and Jazmin Carlin of Great Britain with Kapás swimming a national record of 8:16.37 that stands today.
She also finished one place off the podium in the 400 free, one of two fourth places across her Olympic career along with the 200 fly in Tokyo, as well as claiming two sixth and one seventh-placed finish.
Boglárka Kapás: Photo Courtesy: Becca Wyant
At the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju, she won the 200 fly ahead of Hali Flickinger who’d go on to win bronze at Tokyo 2020.
It came four years after she won bronze in the 1500 free in 15:47.09, still a Hungarian record, at the 2015 worlds in Kazan, Russia.
There were seven European titles across 200 fly and 400, 800 and 1500 free among 13 overall medals. She won 400 free gold in the European short-course pool among five medals.
Her last trip to the podium came at the 2024 European Championships in Belgrade where she took bronze in the 200 fly behind Helena Rosendahl Bach and Lana Pudar, the 18-year-old from Bosnia and Herzegovina who is making her way in senior waters.
With so many standout moments over her career, Kapás selects two that are seared on to her memory.
“There was a swim when I was 10 years old and I remember that race because that was maybe the first one when I could win when I really wanted to win. I used the tactic before the race when I closed my eyes and I just kind of made a movie of my swimming, what I wanted to do.
“Later on, when I was 14 or 15, I’ve learned that technique from my therapist. And I realised that ‘oh my God, I really did this when I was 10’ so it was just a beautiful moment.
“And obviously when I stood on the podium at the Rio Olympics, that’s a moment that I will never forget I think.”
Cherishing The Memories & Applying Lessons For A Lifetime
The 31-year-old plans to take time to rest for the next few months before planning her next move.
She points to what she has learned in the pool that she’ll apply across different areas of her life, describing swimming as her “third parent”.
How to move on when it’s hard or when things don’t go as planned or how to keep fighting every day for something you want to achieve
There was an emotional finale at the Duna Arena where she was given a standing ovation as she finished her last race, the 400m individual medley.
Photo Courtesy: SIPA USA
She was presented with flowers by president of the Hungarian Swimming Federation Sandor Wladar and the tears flowed as she watched film of her career highlights played on the big screen.
Casting her mind back, she said:
“I remember everything, actually. I remember everything from my years when I was five or six. I don’t know if it’s normal and other people can do that but I remember everything.
“I remember when I was at my first Olympic Games, I was the little one. Everyone was so big and tall and I was just a little girl, confused at times.
“So, yes, I remember everything and I feel like it was only yesterday so it’s kind of surreal that I’m here now ending my career. I can’t even imagine that I am here.
“But I am proud of my career and I’m happy that I could do the last race in front of the home crowd.”