Krisztina Egerszegi
Hungarian swimmer who won five individual Olympic gold medals.
Krisztina Egerszegi (born 16 August 1974) is a Hungarian former world record holding swimmer and a three-time Olympian (1988, 1992, 1996). She is a five-time Olympic champion and one of four individuals (Dawn Fraser, Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky being the other three) to have ever won the same swimming event at three consecutive Summer Olympics. She is the first female swimmer to win five individual Olympic gold medals. In 2013, she was awarded the Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen.
- born
- 16 August 1974
- field
- Swimming
- nationality
- Hungarian
- known_for
- Five individual Olympic gold medals; world record in 200 m backstroke for nearly
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Egerszegi made her international debut at the 1987 European Aquatics Championships at age 13, coming fourth in the 200 m backstroke and fifth in the 100 m backstroke. At the 1988 Summer Olympics, she won silver in the 100 m backstroke and became Olympic champion in the 200 m backstroke. At 14 years and 41 days, she became the youngest-ever female Olympic champion in swimming. At the 1991 World Championships in Perth, she won both backstroke events (100 and 200 metres), becoming the first Hungarian female swimmer to win gold medals at the World Championships. A few months later at the European Championships in Athens, she set world records in the 100 m (1:00.31) and 200 m (2:06.62) backstroke events. She held the world record in the long-course 200 m backstroke for almost 17 years.
Reader's Guide
Egerszegi's significance lies in her unprecedented dominance in backstroke events across three Olympic Games. She is one of only four swimmers in Olympic history to win the same event at three consecutive Olympics, a feat she accomplished in the 200 m backstroke (1988, 1992, 1996). Her margin of victory in the 1996 200 m backstroke final—4.15 seconds between her time (2:07.83) and runner-up Whitney Hedgepeth (2:11.98)—is the greatest in any women's 200 m event in swimming history. She held the world record in the long-course 200 m backstroke for almost 17 years, from 25 August 1991 to 16 February 2008. Her record of five individual Olympic gold medals for a swimmer stood until broken by Michael Phelps (13 individual golds); her record for female swimmers was broken by Katie Ledecky in 2021. In 2013, she was awarded the Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen.
Did You Know?
- Egerszegi became the youngest-ever female Olympic champion in swimming at 14 years and 41 days, a record broken in 1992 by Kyoko Iwasaki (14 years and 6 days).
- She is one of only four swimmers (Dawn Fraser, Michael Phelps, Katie Ledecky) to win the same swimming event at three consecutive Summer Olympics.
- Her margin of victory in the 1996 200 m backstroke (4.15 seconds) is the greatest in any women's 200 m event in swimming history.
- She held the world record in the long-course 200 m backstroke for almost 17 years, from 25 August 1991 to 16 February 2008.
- In 2013, she was awarded the Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Krisztina Egerszegi?
She is a Hungarian swimmer born on 16 August 1974 who competed in three Olympic Games (1988, 1992, 1996). She is best known as the first woman ever to collect five individual Olympic gold medals in swimming.
What are Krisztina Egerszegi's major achievements?
She won five individual Olympic gold medals across three consecutive Games, making her one of only four swimmers to claim the same event at three straight Olympics. She also held the world record in the 200 m backstroke for nearly 17 years.
How does Krisztina Egerszegi's Olympic story end?
Her final Olympic appearance came at the 1996 Atlanta Games, after which she stepped away from competitive swimming. Her legacy endures as a record-holder and a landmark figure in the sport's history.
Why is Krisztina Egerszegi important to swimming?
She broke a barrier by becoming the first female swimmer to earn five individual Olympic golds, a milestone no woman had reached before her. Her dominance in backstroke events over three consecutive Olympics cemented her status as one of the sport's all-time greats.
What world record did Krisztina Egerszegi hold?
She set the world record in the 200 m backstroke, a mark that stood for almost 17 years. The sheer longevity of that single record underscores how far ahead of her competition she was during her prime.
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