Risztov Éva Honored By International Marathon Swimming Hall Of Fame
Courtesy of Ned Denison, International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame.
“Comeback stories are beloved by sports fans – and there are few great comeback stories like Risztov Éva and her road to Olympic gold in the 2012 London Olympic Games,” recalls Steven Munatones.
“Risztov from Hódmezővásárhely was a 58-time Hungarian national champion in the pool. This was her specialty.
Risztov won four silver medals at the 2002 European Swimming Championships and three silver medals at the 2003 FINA World Championships. She won another silver medal at the 2004 European Swimming Championships and competed at the 2004 Athens Olympics where she came 4th in 400m individual medley – just barely missing out on the Olympic podium.
While she won six gold medals, one silver medal and one bronze medal between 2002 and 2004 at the European Short Course Swimming Championships, Olympic success – as defined by podium finishes – was just out of her grasp.
Risztov retired in 2005, disappointed for sure. In water polo-mad Hungary, Risztov transitioned to the game of water polo. She briefly focused on water polo and other sporting activities.
But Risztov eventually gave her chasing and throwing the yellow balls in the game of water polo for her tried-and-true talent for swimming. In 2009, the tide for her athletic success changed when she returned to FINA competitions as an open water swimmer. She competed on the FINA 10K Marathon Swimming World Cup series and finished 7th in the 2010 European Swimming Championships in the 10 km. She raced at the 2011 FINA World Championships in Shanghai, gradually gaining valuable experience. By 2012, she won her first European Open Water Swimming Cup race in Eilat, Israel.
In June 2012, only a few months before the London Olympics, Risztov just barely qualified for the Olympics by literally a few tenths of a second after out-touching her Hungarian teammate Anna Olasz at the FINA Olympic Marathon Swim Qualifier in Portugal where she finished second to American Haley Anderson.
Considered a dark horse for the Olympic podium at best, she continued to gain confidence in herself and refined her tactics under her coach Ferenc Kovácshegyi. By August 2012, she was prepped for the race of her life. Not only did she compete in the 400m freestyle (16th), 800m freestyle (13th), and 400m freestyle relay (15th), but she also ended up beating pre-race favorite Keri-Anne Payne and reversed the order of the Olympic qualifier when she out-sprinted Anderson by 4 tenths of a second for gold.
Risztov swam hard – the whole way – during her Olympic victory. She took it out hard and finished even harder.
There was a bit of a fall-off on the third loop of the six-loop Serpentine course, but all-in all the split times for the six-loop course were remarkably even:
Loop 1 – 19:22.2
Loop 2 – 19:47.1
Loop 3 – 20:00.1
Loop 4 – 19:49.4
Loop 5 – 19:33.5
Loop 6 – 19:05.9
Risztov was honored as the 2012 FINA Open Water Swimming Athlete of the Year and the 2012 LEN Open Water Swimmer of the Year after her victory at the 2012 London Olympic Games.”
Ned Denison, chairperson of the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame, announced an additional honor for the Hungarian gold medalist. “The International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame proudly announces Risztov Éva as an Honor Swimmer in the Class of 2020.
Her key 10 km finishes include 16th at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, 1st at the 2012 European Cup in Eilatban, 2nd in the 2011 – Cancun (Mexico) FINA World Cup, 7th in the 2010 LEN European Aquatics Championships, 1st at the 2010 Italian St. Felix Circeóban, and 2nd at the 2004 LEN European Championships.
She was also honored as the 2012 Swimming World Magazine – Open Water Swimmer of the Year and 2012 Hungarian Sportswoman of the Year. She was named the Hungarian Swimmer of the Year in 2002, 2003, and 2012, and received the Order of Merit of Hungary – Officer’s Cross in 2012.”
Risztov will be honored in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame induction ceremony that will be held in New York City on May 2nd 2020.
2012 Olympic 10km Marathon Swim Results in the Serpentine, London
GOLD Risztov Éva (HUN) 1:57:38.2
SILVER Haley Anderson (USA) 1:57:38.6
BRONZE Martina Grimaldi (ITA) 1:57:41.8
4. Keri-Anne Payne (GBR) 1:57:42.2
5. Angela Maurer (GER) 1:57:52.8
6. Ophelie Aspord (FRA) 1:58:43.1
7. Olga Beresnyeva (UKR) 1:58:44.4
8. Erika Villaécija García (ESP) 1:58:49.5
9. Jana Pechanová (CZE) 1:58:52.8
10. Anna Guseva (RUS) 1:58:53.0
11. Melissa Gorman (AUS) 1:58:53.1
12. Karla Šitić (CRO) 1:58:54.7
13. Yumi Kida (JPN) 1:58:59.1
14. Yanel Pinto (VEN) 1:59:05.8
15. Natalia Charlos (POL) 1:59:58.7
16. Heidi Gan (MAS) 2:00:45.0
17. Cecilia Biagioli (ARG) 2:01:02.2
18. Zsofia Balazs (CAN) 2:01:17.8
19. Swann Oberson (SUI) 2:01:38.0
20. Wing Yung Natasha Terri Tang (HKG) 2:02:33.4
21. Lizeth Rueda Santos (MEX) 2:02:46.1
22. Marianna Lymperta (GRE) 2:04:26.5
Poliana Okimoto (BRA) DNF
Jessica Roux (RSA) DNF
Yanqiao Fang (CHN) DNS
==Hungarian==
A Nemzetközi Maraton Úszók Hírességek Csarnoka büszkén jelenti be, a 2020-as év Tiszteletbeli úszója
RISZTOV ÉVA (HUN) – Tiszteletbeli úszó
Risztov Éva megnyerte a 2012-es londoni maraton Olimpiai aranyérmet.
További 10km-es kulcsfontosságú eredményei a következők:
2016 – Rio olimpiai játékok – 16. helyezett
2012 – Eilatban Európa Kupa – 1. helyezett
2011 – Cancúni világkupa verseny – 2. helyezett
2010 – Európai vízi sport bajnokság – 7. helyezett
2010 – Olasz Szent Felix Circeóban – 1. helyezett
2004-es Európa-bajnokság – 2. helyezett
Éva medencés úszóként kezdte pályafutását. Sikeresen szerepelt a 2003. évi vízi világbajnokságon, a 2004. évi athéni olimpián, a 2002. és a 2004. évi Európa-bajnokságon, és 58 alkalommal volt magyar bajnok. 2005-ben visszavonult a medencés úszástól, de 2009-ben bejelentette visszatérését nyíltvízi úszóként.
Sikeres karrierjét egyaránt elismerték Magyarországon és nemzetközi szinten is:
• 2012 FINA az év nyíltvízi úszója, az Úszás Világmagazinja – Az év nyíltvízi úszója
• 2012. Az év sportolója Magyarországon
Az év magyar úszója: 2002, 2003, 2012
A Magyar Érdemrend tisztikeresztje 2012-ben
A beiktatási ünnepség május 2-án lesz New Yorkban. További információk a későbbiekben állnak rendelkezésre.
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