Day 15 in Rio2016: Fantastic finish

The 20^th of August was another golden day for the Hungarian team in Rio, as the Gabriella Szabó, Danuta Kozák, Tamara Csipes, Krisztina Fazekas-Zur kayak unit was able to the win the K-4 500 m final with an outstanding performance. Our men’s water polo team finished in the 5^th place after defeating Greece, pentathlonists Ádám Marosi and Bence Demeter finished in the 12^th and 17^th place, while it was another unlucky day for our wrestlers.

What a day for our women’s K-4 500 m unit! They fulfilled many dreams with crossing the finish line in the first place after an amazing race. It was a bit tougher than the qualification, but the only thing that matters is the final result. With the win, Danuta Kozák became five time Olympic Champion, Gabriella Szabó three time, Krisztina Fazeka-Zur two time and Tamara Csipes one time Olympic Champion.

Danuta Kozák’s tripling in Rio is a historic moment in Hungarian kayak-canoe, not to mention that she became the only woman besides the eight time Olympic Champion Birgit Fischer, who was able to win in three different Olympic events, and Danuta is the first to accomplish this at the same Olympic Games! “I haven’t realised the tripling yet. Thinking back I had such a wonderful four years since the London Olympics that this is the crown to it all” said Danuta.

This is the first Olympic gold medal for Tamara Csipes, who is now part of the few Hungarian father-daughter pairs, where both the fathers and daughters were able to triumph at the Olympic Games (her father, Ferenc Csipes, won a gold medal is men’s K-4 1000 m is Seoul). “The others welcomed me in the club. I’m finally an Olympic Champion and I also worked a lot for it. I’ve been doing a much tougher mental and physical work since last October. I’m so happy that it wasn’t in vain” said Tamara.

The Henrik Vasbányai & Róbert Mike duo was very close to the bronze medal in the final of men’s C-2 1000m. They were only in the last place at 250 metres but spurted incredibly in the end. If only there were a few more metres to go, they would’ve have got hold of the mighty bronze medals.

Moreover, our men’s water polo team defeated Greece on the match for the 5^th place at the Olympics with a confident play. We wish it hadn’t been for the 5^th place… Also, yesterday was another unlucky day for Hungarian athletes in the wrestling hall, as Dániel Ligeti (125 kg) dropped out in the quarter-final, and István Veréb (85 kg) dropped out on repechage. This means that our wrestlers leave Rio without any medals.

RESULTS:

Women’s K-4 500 m, final – Gabriella Szabó & Danuta Kozák & Tamara Csipes & Krisztina Fazekas-Zur 1^st place

Men’s C-2 1000 m, final – Henrik Vasbányai & Róbert Mike 4^th place

Men’s K-1 200 m, final B – Péter Molnár 7^th place –> 15^th place on the whole

Men’s K-4 1000 m, final B – Tibor Hufnágel & Benjámin Ceiner & Attila Kugler & Tamás Somorácz 3^rd place –> 11^th place on the whole

Men’s freestyle 86 kg wrestling, repechage – István Veréb-Pedro Francisco Fuentes (Venezuela) 6:7

Men’s freestyle 125 kg wrestling, quarter-final – Dániel Ligeti-Levan Berianidze (Armenia) 1:3

Women’s triathlon – Zsófia Kovács 24^th place, Margit Vanek 45^th place

Men’s pentathlon, final – Ádám Marosi 12^th place, Bence Demeter 17^th place

Men’s water polo for the 5^th place – Hungary-Greece 12:10

Photos: MTI

Copy editor: bm

Source: Daily News Hungary