"It's always about the journey, not the destination" – Katinka Hosszú reacts to not qualifying for Olympics

"It may sound like a cliché, but it's always about the journey, not the destination" – Katinka Hosszú reacted in a Facebook post to her failure to qualify for this year's Paris Olympics.

The three-time Olympic champion Hungarian swimmer failed to meet the Olympic standard in the 200m medley at the Sette Colli (Seven Hills) international event in Rome on Sunday and will not have another chance to meet the qualifying time.

"I think I can say this with a serene heart now, because I have achieved every possible goal in swimming and it is always the process that makes you happy, not the success... We are having a very happy year," Hosszú wrote. This was likely the 35-year-old swimmer's last opportunity in her career to compete in the Olympics. The upcoming Paris Olympics would have been her sixth such event.

The three-time Olympic champion made an attempt to qualify for Paris in the 200m medley on Sunday, but her time of 2:18.41 in the final was well below the required time of 2:11.47.