Anna Olasz

Anna Olasz is a Hungarian open water swimmer known for her achievements in marathon swimming events, including a fourth-place finish in the women's 10 km at the 2020 Summer Olympics and multiple medals across World Aquatics Championships and European Aquatics Championships.^[1][2] Born on 19 September 1993 in Szeged, Hungary, Olasz initially competed in pool swimming, representing her country at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in events such as the 400 m freestyle and relays.^[1] She later specialized in open water disciplines and has become one of Hungary's prominent marathon swimmers, also graduating from Arizona State University in the United States.^[3] Olasz competed in the women's 10 km open water marathon at two Summer Olympics, finishing 14th at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro and securing her career-best Olympic result of fourth at the 2020 Games in Tokyo.^[1] Her international medal record includes a silver in the 25 km at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships and a gold in the 10 km at the 2017 Summer Universiade, among other accolades.^[1] World Aquatics records show she has earned a total of 15 medals at major AQUA-sanctioned events, consisting of 2 gold, 9 silver, and 4 bronze, highlighting her consistency in elite open water competitions.^[2]

Early life

Birth and background

Anna Olasz was born on 19 September 1993 in Szeged, Csongrád County, Hungary. ^{[1] [4]} She holds Hungarian nationality and resides in Szeged. ^[3] Olasz stands at 163 cm tall ^[1] and weighs 55 kg. ^[1]

Education and early swimming

Anna Olasz began swimming at a young age in Szeged, Hungary. She learned to swim in kindergarten and was enrolled by her father in the Szegedi Úszó Egylet club at the beginning of first grade, initially as a way to try the sport until she settled on a long-term activity. ^[5] She remained affiliated with Szegedi Úszó Egylet throughout her early competitive years, training under coaches including Gellért Gábor and Táczi Zsolt. ^[5] In 2013, Olasz moved to the United States to attend Arizona State University, where she joined the Sun Devils women's swimming and diving team as a distance freestyle specialist. ^[6] She competed for the Arizona State Sun Devils from 2013 to 2017 while pursuing her studies. ^{[6] [7]} Olasz graduated magna cum laude in 2017 with a bachelor's degree in business communication from the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. ^{[7] [6]} Her educational experience in the United States coincided with her ongoing development as a swimmer. ^[6]

Swimming career

Junior career and Youth Olympics

Anna Olasz began her international competitive career in pool swimming at the youth level, representing Hungary at the inaugural 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in Singapore. She competed in the girls' 400 metre freestyle event, finishing in eighth place. ^[1] She also participated in the girls' 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay as a member of the Hungarian team, which placed seventh overall. ^[1] Her involvement in the Youth Olympics included an appearance as herself in one episode of the television mini-series Singapore 2010: Games of the I Youth Olympiad. ^[8] These pool-based competitions marked her early international exposure before her transition to open water events in later years.

Collegiate swimming and transition to open water

Anna Olasz competed collegiately for the Arizona State Sun Devils, focusing on distance freestyle events in NCAA competition. ^[6] As a freshman during the 2013-14 season, she qualified for the Pac-12 Championships, where she finished 12th in the 1650 yard freestyle. ^[6] She continued swimming for Arizona State through her senior year, recording personal best times in events including the 500 yard freestyle, 1000 yard freestyle, and 1650 yard freestyle. ^[6] During this period, she trained under head coach Bob Bowman, who oversaw her development in distance swimming starting around 2015. ^{[9] [10]} Although she had already achieved international results in open water events prior to enrolling at Arizona State, including a fifth-place finish in the 10 km at the 2013 FINA World Championships as an incoming freshman, Olasz's collegiate experience in pool distance events coincided with her growing specialization in open water marathon swimming. ^[11] She increasingly focused on the 10 km and 25 km distances, building on her endurance foundation from NCAA competition. ^{[10] [1]} This period at Arizona State, where she graduated magna cum laude with a degree in business communication in 2017, helped lay the groundwork for her later senior international success in open water events. ^[6]

Senior career and specialization

Anna Olasz transitioned from pool swimming during her time at Arizona State University, where she competed in distance freestyle events, to focusing on open water marathon swimming in her senior career. ^{[6] [12]} She has specialized in the 10 km and 25 km open water events, consistently competing in these distances on the professional circuit, while also contributing to Hungary's efforts in mixed team relays. ^[12] Olasz has participated extensively in the FINA 10K Marathon Swimming World Cup series, securing wins and strong performances in various international open water races, which marked her shift toward dominance in longer-distance open water disciplines after her collegiate pool experience. ^[12] She qualified and competed as a two-time Olympian in the women's 10 km marathon event at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. ^[12] Throughout her senior career, Olasz has established herself as a key figure in Hungarian open water swimming, with a record of success across her specialized events. ^[4]

Achievements

World Championships

Anna Olasz has secured three silver medals at the World Aquatics Championships in open water swimming events. In 2015, she earned silver in the women's 25 km marathon at the championships held in Kazan, Russia, finishing with a time of 5:14:13.4, 26 seconds behind gold medalist Ana Marcela Cunha of Brazil. ^{[13] [14]} She later contributed to Hungary's success in the mixed 4×1500 m team relay, claiming silver at the 2022 World Championships in Budapest alongside teammates David Betlehem, Réka Rohács, and Kristóf Rasovszky. ^{[15] [12]} At the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, Olasz was again part of the Hungarian mixed team relay squad—comprising Bettina Fábián, Kristóf Rasovszky, and Dávid Betlehem—that took silver with a time of 1:10:35.3, finishing behind Italy. ^{[16] [17]} These relay medals highlight her role in Hungary's strong team performances in recent years. ^[18]

European Championships

Anna Olasz has earned multiple medals in open water events at the European Aquatics Championships, contributing significantly to her international record in the discipline.^[18][1] At the 2014 European Aquatics Championships in Berlin, she secured the silver medal in the women's 25 km open water event.^[18][1] She added to her tally at the 2020 European Aquatics Championships in Budapest (held in May 2021 due to postponement), winning silver in the women's 10 km open water race.^[19][1] In the same championships, Olasz also claimed bronze in the 5 km team event.^[1] Her most recent European medal came at the 2022 European Championships in Rome, where she won silver in the mixed 4×1250 m relay.^[18] These achievements highlight her consistency in both individual long-distance races and team relay formats at the continental level.^[1][18]

Other international results

Anna Olasz secured a prominent international victory at the 2017 Summer Universiade in Taipei, Taiwan, winning the gold medal in the women's 10 km open water marathon.^[20] The race took place in the New Taipei City Breeze Canal under warm conditions with a water temperature of 30°C, where she finished in a time of 2:04:12.2 to claim the title ahead of Italy's Giulia Gabrielleschi (2:04:17.9) and France's Adeline Furst (2:04:23.1).^[20] She also excelled in the LEN Open Water Swimming Cup (European Open Water Swimming Cup), capturing the overall series title in both 2013 and 2014.^[12] The 2013 victory came after the 16th annual series consisting of multiple stages across Europe.^[21] These successes highlighted her consistency in competitive open water events beyond the major championships.^[12]

Olympic performances

2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics

Anna Olasz made her Olympic debut at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, competing in the women's marathon 10 kilometre open water swimming event. This marked her first appearance at the senior Olympic level, building on her earlier participation in swimming events at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics. The race took place on 15 August 2016 in the Atlantic Ocean off Fort Copacabana, where she finished in 14th place. Her result in this demanding open water event highlighted her transition to senior international competition.

2020 Tokyo Olympics

Anna Olasz competed in the women's 10 km marathon open water swimming event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo (held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic). The race took place on 4 August 2021 at Odaiba Marine Park in Tokyo Bay. She finished in 4th place with a time of 1:59:34.8, just seconds behind the bronze medalist. This result represented her strongest Olympic performance to date. Olasz was part of the leading group for much of the race and demonstrated significant improvement in her open water racing strategy and endurance compared to prior international competitions. Her 4th-place finish highlighted her status as a top contender in the discipline on the Olympic stage.

Media appearances

Television credits

Anna Olasz has appeared on television as herself in connection with her swimming career. She featured as Self – Swimmer (Hungary) in one episode of the TV Mini Series Singapore 2010: Games of the I Youth Olympiad (2010), documenting the inaugural Youth Olympic Games where she competed. ^[8] In 2018, Olasz appeared as Self in one episode of the Hungarian TV Series Magyarország, szeretlek! (2011–present), a popular quiz and entertainment program. ^[8] These appearances are limited to non-fiction formats highlighting her as an athlete rather than any scripted or acting roles.