Dániel Gyurta (; born 4 May 1989) is a Hungarian former competitive

swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

who mainly competed in the 200-metre breaststroke. In 2016, Gyurta became a member of the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...

(IOC), he is a member of the European Olympic Committees (EOC) Athletes' Commission since 2013 and a member of the Athletes Commission since 2016.

Biography

Gyurta was born in

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

. When he was 15 years old, he won a silver medal (with 2.10.80) in the men's 200-metre breaststroke at the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

in Athens, Greece. His coaches are Sándor Széles, Ferenc Kovácshegyi and Balázs Virth. On August 12, 2008 he set an Olympic record in the preliminaries of the 200-metre breaststroke at the

2008 Olympic Games The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

in Beijing. His record was broken one day later by Kitajima in the semi-finals. Gyurta finished fifth in the final. At the

2009 World Aquatics Championships The 2009 World Aquatics Championships ( it, Campionati mondiali di nuoto 2009) or the XIII FINA World Championships were held in Rome, Italy from 18 July to 2 August 2009. The 2009 Championships featured competition in all 5 aquatics disciplines ...

he won gold medal in 200 m breaststroke, edging out

Eric Shanteau Eric Lee Shanteau (born October 1, 1983) is an American former competition swimmer who won two gold medals as a member of winning United States relay teams at the World Championships. He was a member of the 2008 and 2012 U.S. Olympic teams, and ...

in the last meters. He was named Hungarian Sportsman of the year for this achievement. Two years later Gyurta retained the gold medal at the

2011 World Aquatics Championships The 14th FINA World Championships () were held on 16–31 July 2011 in Shanghai, China at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center. The 2011 World Championships featured five aquatics disciplines: swimming, water polo, diving, open water, and synchro ...

, thus becoming the second man to defend the world title on 200 metre breaststroke after

David Wilkie David Wilkie may refer to: * David Wilkie (artist) (1785–1841), Scottish painter * David Wilkie (surgeon) (1882–1938), British surgeon, scientist and philanthropist * David Wilkie (footballer) (1914–2011), Australian rules footballer * David ...

of Great Britain, who won the first two world titles, in 1973 and 1975. At the 2012 London Olympics he won the gold medal and set a new world record for the 200 m breaststroke. After the race, he offered a replica of his Olympic medal to the parents of his former competitor

Alexander Dale Oen Alexander Dale Oen (; 21 May 198530 April 2012) was a Norwegian swimmer. He represented the clubs Vestkantsvømmerne (1995–2010) and Bærumsvømmerne (2011–2012). Dale Oen's gold at the 2008 European Championships made him the first Norwegi ...

in tribute to him, a gesture much appreciated by Dale's family. Dale had died on 30 April 2012, a few months before the Games. Later, Gyurta received the international Fair Play Award from

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

, in respect of his medal tribute of a fallen fellow breaststroker: Alexander Dale Oen. His younger brother,

Gergely Gyurta Gergely Gyurta (born 21 September 1991) is a Hungarian swimmer and national team member for his home nation. He has competed at three Olympic Games and won World and European medals. His older brother is Dániel Gyurta, another Olympic swimme ...

is also a competitive

Personal bests

In long course swim pools Gyurta's bests are: * 100 m breaststroke: 59.53 (29 July 2012, London) Hungarian Record * 200 m breaststroke: 2:07.23 (2 August 2013, Barcelona) Championship Record, European Record In short course pools Gyurta's best's are: * 50 m breaststroke: 27.00 (10 December 2009) Hungarian Record * 100 m breaststroke: 56.72 (11 December 2009, Istanbul) Hungarian Record * 200 m breaststroke: 2:00.48 (31 August 2014, Dubai) Former World Record

Awards

HUN Order of Merit of the Hungarian Rep (civil) 5class BAR

Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary – Knight's Cross (2004) * Hungarian swimmer of the Year (5): 2004, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013 * Hungarian Junior Athlete of the Year (2) - the National Sports Association (NSSZ) awards: 2004, 2007 * Junior Príma award (2008) *

Hungarian Sportsman of the Year Hungarian Sportspeople of the Year awards are granted each year since 1958, with categories for sportsmen, sportswomen, teams, coaches (since 1985) and presidents (since 1995). List of winners Statistics Individual winners of three or mor ...

(3) - votes of sports journalists: 2009, 2012, 2013 * HUN Order of Merit of the Hungarian Rep (civil) 4class BAR

Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary – Officer's Cross (2010) * Best Youth Hungarian Athlete of the year (1) - the National Sports Association (NSSZ) awards: 2011 * Best Hungarian Junior Sportman of the Year (Héraklész) (1): 2011 * HUN Order of Merit of the Hungarian Rep (civil) 3class BAR

HUN Order of Merit of the Hungarian Rep (civil) 3class BAR

Order of Merit of Hungary – Commander's Cross (2012) *

Fair Play Award (2013) *

Swimming World Magazine ''Swimming World'' is a US-based monthly swimming magazine that was first published in a magazine format as ''Junior Swimmer'' in January 1960. It concurrently runs online websites ''Swimming World Magazine'' and ''Swimming World News'', (known ...

– European Swimmer of the Year (1): 2013 * Hungarian university athlete of the year (1): 2015 * Honorary Citizen of

Újpest Újpest (; german: Neu-Pest, en, New Pest) is the 4th District in Budapest, Hungary. It is located on the left bank of the Danube River. The name Újpest means "New Pest" because the city was formed on the border of the city of Pest, Hungary i ...

(2016)

References

External links

*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gyurta, Daniel 1989 births Living people Swimmers from Budapest Male breaststroke swimmers Hungarian male swimmers Olympic swimmers of Hungary Swimmers at the 2004 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for Hungary Olympic silver medalists for Hungary World record setters in swimming World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming Medalists at the FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) European Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics European champions for Hungary Olympic gold medalists in swimming Olympic silver medalists in swimming International Olympic Committee members 20th-century Hungarian people 21st-century Hungarian people