Krisztina Egerszegi facts for kids

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Krisztina Egerszegi

Egerszegi in 1989
Personal information
Nickname(s)	Egérke (Little Mouse), Egér (Mouse), Queen Kristina (1992)
Nationality	Hungarian
Born	(1974-08-16) 16 August 1974 (age 50) Budapest, Hungary
Height	174 cm
Weight	57 kg
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Backstroke, individual medley, butterfly
Club	Budapest Spartacus SC
Coach	Miklós Kiss (1981–1982) György Turi (1982–1986) László Kiss (1986–1996)
Medal record International aquatics competitions Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 5 1 1 World Championships 2 1 0 European Championships (LC) 9 4 0 European Junior Championships (LC) 3 0 0 Goodwill Games 1 1 0 Total 20 7 1 Representing  Hungary Olympic Games Gold 1988 Seoul 200 m backstroke Gold 1992 Barcelona 100 m backstroke Gold 1992 Barcelona 200 m backstroke Gold 1992 Barcelona 400 m medley Gold 1996 Atlanta 200 m backstroke Silver 1988 Seoul 100 m backstroke Bronze 1996 Atlanta 400 m medley World Championships Gold 1991 Perth 100 m backstroke Gold 1991 Perth 200 m backstroke Silver 1994 Rome 200 m backstroke European Championships (LC) Gold 1991 Athens 100 m backstroke Gold 1991 Athens 200 m backstroke Gold 1991 Athens 400 m medley Gold 1993 Sheffield 100 m backstroke Gold 1993 Sheffield 200 m backstroke Gold 1993 Sheffield 200 m butterfly Gold 1993 Sheffield 400 m medley Gold 1995 Vienna 200 m backstroke Silver 1995 Vienna 400 m medley Silver 1989 Bonn 100 m backstroke Silver 1989 Bonn 200 m backstroke Silver 1989 Bonn 400 m medley Silver 1995 Vienna 4×100 m medley

Krisztina Egerszegi (born August 16, 1974) is a famous Hungarian swimmer. She used to hold world records and is one of Hungary's greatest Olympic champions. Krisztina competed in three Olympic Games: 1988, 1992, and 1996. She won five Olympic gold medals.

She is one of only four swimmers ever to win the same swimming event at three Olympics in a row. The others are Dawn Fraser, Michael Phelps, and Katie Ledecky. Krisztina was also the first female swimmer to win five individual Olympic gold medals. She held the world record in the 200-meter backstroke for almost 17 years. In 2013, she received a very special award called the Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen.

Krisztina Egerszegi's Swimming Journey

Early Career and First Olympic Wins

Krisztina started her international swimming career at just 13 years old in 1987. She competed in the European Aquatics Championships. At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, she won a silver medal in the 100-meter backstroke. She also became an Olympic champion in the 200-meter backstroke.

At 14 years and 41 days old, she was the youngest female Olympic swimming champion ever. This record was later broken in 1992 by Kyoko Iwasaki from Japan. By the end of 1988, Krisztina was the top 200-meter backstroke swimmer in the world. She was also named Swimmer of the Year and Best Female Athlete in Hungary.

Continued Success and World Records

In 1989, Krisztina won three silver medals at the European Aquatics Championships. She competed in the 100-meter backstroke, 200-meter backstroke, and 400-meter medley. She was again named the Best Female Athlete of the Year in Hungary.

At the 1990 Goodwill Games, she won Hungary's only gold medal in the 200-meter backstroke. She also got a silver medal in the 100-meter backstroke. That year, she won 12 gold medals at the Hungarian Championships. She was once again chosen as the Best Swimmer and Best Female Athlete of Hungary.

In 1991, Krisztina made history at the World Championships in Australia. She won both the 100-meter and 200-meter backstroke events. This made her the first Hungarian female swimmer to win gold medals at the World Championships.

A few months later, at the European Championships in Greece, she won three more gold medals. She also set new world records in both the 100-meter (1:00.31 minutes) and 200-meter (2:06.62 minutes) backstroke events. She was the first female swimmer since 1980 to set world records in both backstroke distances at the same event. She continued her winning streak at the Hungarian Swimming Championships, adding 10 more gold medals. For the fourth year in a row, she was named the Best Swimmer and Best Athlete of the Year in Hungary.

Olympic Glory in Barcelona and Atlanta

In 1992, Krisztina took the official Olympic oath for the Hungarian team. She won 8 more gold medals at the Hungarian Championships. At the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, she won three individual gold medals. She was the only female athlete at those Games to achieve this. At the end of 1992, she was again voted Best Swimmer and Best Athlete of the Year.

In 1993, she won 10 first places at the Hungarian Championships. Then, at the European Championships in England, she tried the 200-meter butterfly for the first time and won a gold medal! She also won gold in the 400-meter medley, 100-meter backstroke, and 200-meter backstroke. She was named Best Swimmer and Best Athlete of the Year in Hungary again.

In 1994, Krisztina won 9 gold medals at the Hungarian Championships. She then planned to retire after the World Championships in Rome. However, she lost the 100-meter and 200-meter backstroke events. This made her decide to keep competing for two more years.

In 1995, she won 9 gold medals at the Hungarian Championship. At the European Aquatics Championships, she won her last two European titles in the 400-meter medley and 200-meter backstroke. She also won a silver medal in the 4x100-meter medley relay. She said this silver medal made her the "happiest."

In 1996, Krisztina finished her career at the Hungarian Championships with 9 more gold medals. At the Atlanta Olympic Games, she won her first and only Olympic bronze medal in the 400-meter individual medley. Her final race was truly special: she won her favorite 200-meter backstroke event. She won by a huge difference, earning her fifth individual gold medal. This made her the second swimmer ever to win the same event at three Olympics in a row.

The Greatest Winning Difference

At the 1996 Summer Olympics, Krisztina won the 200-meter backstroke with a time of 2:07.83. The swimmer who came in second, Whitney Hedgepeth, finished in 2:11.98. This means Krisztina won by 4.15 seconds! This is the biggest winning difference in any women's 200-meter swimming event in Olympic history.

Between 1988 and 1996, she won 5 individual Olympic gold medals. This was a record for a swimmer for individual gold medal wins. Later, Michael Phelps broke this record with 13 individual gold medals. Katie Ledecky broke Krisztina's record for female swimmers in 2021.

Krisztina retired from swimming after the Atlanta Olympics, at just 22 years old. She became a board member of the Hungarian Swimming Association and the Hungarian Olympic Committee. She was named Best Swimmer of the Year 9 times and Best Female Athlete of the Year 7 times.

Swimming Records and Achievements

Krisztina Egerszegi set her first world record at the 1991 European Championships in Athens. She swam the 100-meter backstroke in 1:00.31 minutes. Three days later, she broke another world record in the 200-meter backstroke, finishing in 2:06.62 minutes.

She held this world record in the 200-meter backstroke for 16 and a half years! It was the oldest European record until 2009. Krisztina also set Olympic records in the 100-meter and 200-meter backstroke events. Her Hungarian records in these events were the oldest on the list until Katinka Hosszú broke them in 2013 and 2015.

Impact on Hungarian Culture

Krisztina's win in Seoul in 1988 was a huge moment for Hungary. The famous words, "Come on Little Mouse! Come on little girl!" spoken by the TV commentator, are still well-known in Hungary. Krisztina is still seen as a true "champion" and role model in her home country.

Her nickname was "Egérke" (meaning "Little Mouse") or "Egér" ("Mouse"). This was because of her young age and small size. After the 1992 Summer Olympics, where she won three gold medals, people started calling her Krisztina Királynő ("Queen Kristina").

Her amazing career was written about in a 1993 book called Egerszegi. There was also a documentary film with the same name made in 2000.

Awards and Honours

Krisztina Egerszegi was added to the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2001. This is a very special honor for top swimmers. She was named Hungarian Sportswoman of the Year a record seven times (1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, and 1996). She was also named Female World Swimmer of the Year three times.

On June 23, 2001, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) gave her the Olympic Order. On August 20, 2013, she received Hungary's highest state award, the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary Medal.

Other awards she has received include:

• Best Female Athlete of Europe (1992)
• Commander's Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit (1992)
• Olympic Golden Ring (1995)
• Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (1996)
• Hungarian Heritage Award (1996)
• IOC Ethical Special Award (1999)
• The Hungarian Female Athlete of the Century (2001)
• Fair Play Award for Lifetime Achievement (2001)
• IOC Olympic Order of Merit grade silver (2001)
• Honorary Citizen of Budapest (2011)
• Hall of Fame of the Hungarian Swimming Sports (2013)

Results at the Hungarian Swimming Championships

See also

• List of members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame
• List of multiple Olympic gold medalists at a single Games
• List of multiple Olympic gold medalists
• List of multiple Olympic gold medalists in one event
• List of top Olympic gold medalists in swimming
• World record progression 100 metres backstroke
• World record progression 200 metres backstroke