Sarkany, Betlehem, Kesely and Szabo in Hungary team for European Aquatics Short Course Swimming Championships Lublin 2025

Zalan Sarkany, David Betlehem, Ajna Kesely and Szebasztian Szabo head a 22-strong Hungarian team named today for next month’s European Aquatics Short Course Swimming Championships Lublin 2025.

The line-up will also feature the quartet who won women’s 4x200m freestyle silver at the 2024 World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) in Budapest.

Twelfth in the medals table at the last edition of this European competition held two years ago in Otopeni, Hungary rose to seventh overall as they hosted last December’s World Aquatics event in their home capital – and they will seek to maintain their momentum in the Polish city, where competition will run from December 2 to 7.

Sarkany won men’s 800m gold in Budapest, and offered compelling evidence of his current form when helowered the national record to 7:29.50 at last month’s WA World Cup in Westmont, United States.

Open water swimming specialist Betlehem, the Paris 2024 10km bronze medallist, returns to an event he last took part in four years ago.

Betlehem completed the distance treble at the recent Hungarian Short Course Championships concluded in Debrecen, winning the 400m, 800m and 1500m titles.

After winning his third title, over 800m, in 7:41.89, the 22-year-old from Szombathely told the Hungarian Swimming Federation:

“It wasn’t in my mind that I would compete here with Zalán (Sárkány’s) time.

“At the beginning, yes, if not around 7:29, then maybe around 7:33. There was nothing there in the end, because I was very tired. But the good thing about this is that I swim things that I don’t usually do, whether it feels good or not.

“At 300, something broke, but I needed the time, and it’s already official that I’m going to the European Championships, so I have a tough four weeks ahead of me.”

Kesely, who won 800m freestyle bronze and 1500m freestyle bronze – in a national record of 15:51.34 – at Otopeni 2023, also completed the distance treble at the Hungarian Championships after recovering from the injury that caused her to miss most of the summer.

She told her national federation: “The one-week joint open water training camp with Dávid Betlehem, led by László Szokolai, helped me a lot – it added a lot to my preparation, and I thank them for the opportunity.

“I hope I can take this to the European Championships, which I am really looking forward to, because it has been a long time since I swam in an international competition, and what happened here is a good omen.”

Szabo won silvers in the 50m butterfly and 50m freestyle silver in Otopeni.

Minna Abraham, who won 200m freestyle gold and 400m freestyle bronze at this summer’s EA U23 Championships in Samorin, will rejoin the team-mates with whom she earned 4x200m freestyle silver in Budapest in a national record of 7:33.39 – Nikolett Padar, Panna Ugrai and Dora Molnar.

Also competing in Lublin will be Richard Marton, who won 200m butterfly bronze at the last edition of these Championships.

Tickets for the European Aquatics Short Course Swimming Championships Lublin 2025 are available here: https://www.eventim.pl/en/eventseries/european-aquatics-short-course-swimming-4019648/

Hungary team: Men David Betlehem (400-800-1500m free), Balazs Hollo (200m free, 200m breast, 400m IM), Adam Jaszo (50-100m free,   50-100-200m back), Benedek Kovacs (50-100-200m back), Richard Marton (400m free, 100-200m fly), Nandor Nemeth (50-100-200m free), Zalan Sarkany (400-800-1500m free, 400m IM), Szebasztian Szabo (50m free, 50m fly), Gabor Zombori (100-200-400m IM, 200m breast)

 Women Minna Abraham (50-100-200-400m free), Henrietta Fangli (50-100-200m breast), Laura Ilyes (200m fly), Ajna Kesely (400-800-1500m free), Lora Komoroczy (50m fly, 50-100m back), Viktoria Mihalyvari-Farkas (1500m free), Dora Molnar (50-100-200m back), Nikolett Padar (100-200-400m free), Dalma Sebestyen (100-200m IM, 50m breast), Petra Senanszky (50-100m free), Eszter Szabo-Feltothy (200m back, 200-400m IM), Panna Ugrai (100-200m free, 100-200m fly), Laura Zsebok (200-400m free, 200m breast, 200m IM)

Mike Rowbottom for European Aquatics

The post Sarkany, Betlehem, Kesely and Szabo in Hungary team for European Aquatics Short Course Swimming Championships Lublin 2025 first appeared on European Aquatics®.