New York Times’ article about the special relationship between Katinka Hosszú and Shane Tusup

The work of the unstoppable Iron Lady and her husband-coach, Shane Tusup, has been admired by many. Their relationship, preparation, training techniques and successes even inspired New York Times, who published a long report about them. It’s definitely worth reading.

The article emphasizes that Katinka, running away from the failure in London, took on a completely new approach when she started working with her husband as her trainee. Their relationship is twofold: they are both husband & wife, trainer & athlete.

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“He’s pretty hard as a coach,” she said, “but at home he’s supersweet and loving and really funny. So we can laugh a lot.”

Besides having her husband inspire her as her trainer, the way Shane treats Katinka can seem very harsh for some people. This is basically the main focus of the article, which even quotes Jessica Hardy, who used to train with Katinka for some time. She finds Shane’s methods frightening and added that he fordbid Katinka from talking to her in 2013 as he thought that Jessica had a bad influence on her. “I’ve seen coaches exhibit that kind of behaviour in training, but this is another level. It’s scary.”

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Katinka admits that Shane is a stonehard trainer, who wants immediate results even in the case of a simple movement, but he is a lovely husband. She formerly had a similar relationship with her grandfather, who wasn’t her loving grandpa at the side of the pool but more of a tough trainer.

“I always say if you find a coach who can make you a step or two better, or if what we’re doing is not working and you think there’s something you need to change, you need to tell me because then I’ll step back, that coach will step in, and we’ll be happy,” Tusup said, adding, “She has that offer to this day.”

What is it that an American trainer can give a Hungarian swimmer? Dorina Szekeres, 2012 Olympian and an employee at the couple’s management agency, answers this question: “We have the drive, but we didn’t have the confidence. That’s what we learned in the U.S., that anything is possible. If you’re not in an environment telling you you’re good, how will you know how good you can be? Katinka never saw the potential she has. My old coach is asking me how she is training, what she’s doing in the weight room. It’s no magic. She’s getting the work done. She’s pushing herself every day.”

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Katinka said that Shane even prepared her for the chance of not winning a gold medal in Rio. “Shane is always reminding me, ‘You lost the one that you thought you could not survive without, and you’re thriving,’” Hosszú said, referring to the 400 individual medley in London. “Why would you ever worry about anything?”

The article describes them as pool water and chlorine: you are not likely to find one without the other. The bond Katinka and Shane have seems to be working out just perfect. With 5 events on their list, the couple face their biggest challenge in Rio in the upcoming days. The Iron Lady and her husband honestly seem unstoppable…are they really?

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