Daniel Gyurta, the 2012 Olympic 200m breaststroke champion, has retired, according to his social media and Hungarian media.
“Making the most difficult decision of my life, I am saying goodbye to competitive swimming,” was posted on Gyurta’s Facebook along with a photo the swimmer holding an array of medals. “I am not a ‘give-up type of guy’, but I had to admit that it’s time to let it go. I am grateful to the whole nation for standing behind me and for the fact that I won everything a swimmer may dream of: I was undefeated for 6 years in the world. 💪
🇭🇺 I will not show my back to the world of pools, Hungarian swimming can rely on me!”
Gyurta splashed onto the scene as a 15-year-old at the 2004 Olympics, surging from seventh place after the first 50 meters to take silver in the 200m breast between rivals Kosuke Kitajima and Brendan Hansen. He was the youngest male Olympic swimming medalist since 1932.
After a disappointing fifth-place finish at the 2008 Beijing Games, Gyurta overtook Kitajima in the London 2012 final and broke Australian Christian Sprenger‘s world record. Gyurta’s record was broken by Japanese Akihiro Yamaguchi a month later.
Gyurta finished his career with 17th-place finishes at the Rio Olympics and the 2017 World Championships at his home of Budapest.
Gyurta also won three straight 200m breast world titles in 2009, 2011 and 2013 and European titles in 2010 and 2012.
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