Hungarian Iron Lady is planning a big comeback
After conquering the arenas of Athens, Peking, London, Rio, Tokyo, and embracing motherhood, Katinka Hosszú gears up for her sixth Olympics—this time, in Paris in 2024.
In an interview with Index, she talked about the challenges of balancing motherhood with the rigorous demands of professional athleticism. The topic of the Paris Olympics also came up and it’s safe to say our Iron Lady is still going strong.
The challenges of motherhood
As for the challenge of juggling motherhood and sustaining a professional athletic career, she described the experience particularly unique, adding that no one can be entirely prepared for parenthood before it happens to them. The unpredictable timetable stands in stark contrast to the meticulously planned life she led as a professional athlete. Back then, every minute of her life was planned out, while now she has to face the uncertainty of sleep and a flexible timetable. Working her daily tasks around the needs of her baby is a learning process, she admits. In addition, she’s also managing multiple projects at the same time. Iron Swim is going strong and her plans with the swimming academy seem to be taking shape, although she hasn’t shared any information about that yet. All in all, she remains optimistic about her ongoing and future ventures.
Training vigorously
Despite the demands of a newborn, born in August, she swiftly returned to the pool. Even though it’s medically advised to abstain from any sport for at least six weeks after giving birth, she couldn’t stay away from her passion that long. Currently clocking two to three hours of daily training, a significant reduction from her previous eight or nine hours, she describes the adjustments made necessary by her new reality. However, it still sounds like a miraculous achievement for a new mum. She adds, that her trainings have gotten much more condensed because of the lack of time on her hands. She doesn’t even leave her home when it comes to her land-based fitness training as it can be conveniently done there, too.
Next destination: Paris?
Katinka revealed that her plans are coming along nicely. If all goes well she can get back in the racing pool in the spring. That’s when the qualifying finals for the Olympics take place. Prior to that, a strategic training camp is on the horizon, most probably in Dubai, where the warm weather promises an intense preparation. She is confident about getting back in shape and in her abilities to regain her full strength by the time of the Olympics. It’s no secret that success at the event would be the pinnacle of her career, and she does see a real chance for qualifying for the Olympics. Her main focus remains on the individual medley, specifically the 200 and 400 metres, and that’s mostly what she’s preparing for. Finally, Katinka revealed that she can’t wait to prove herself once again at the Paris Olympics.