Hungarian men's 4x100 free relay team wins gold at European Aquatics Championship

Four years ago, at the European Championships in Rome, the Hungarian men’s 4x200 freestyle relay team took gold, and now, the Hungarian men's team has become the continent’s best in the 4x100 as well. Their success is made even more remarkable by the fact that it was just a few hours before the final that Kristóf Milák, who had won the bronze medal in the individual 100-meter freestyle, confirmed to his teammates that they could count on him being there. Milák thus joined Hubert Kós, Szebasztián Szabó, and Nándor Németh.

This lineup immediately positioned the Hungarian team as a medal contender; in fact, given the competitors’ average times, gold was well within reach. Although Hubert Kós had consciously messaged Milák with his pre-European Championships statement about what makes someone a legend, his joining the team was still a surprise.

Milák was the final swimmer, and finished in 46.29, even though he had won the 100-meter butterfly race barely more than an hour before, finishing just three hundredths of a second behind the world record. In the relay, Milák swam one second faster than Németh, who is considered the specialist in this event.

The 26-year-old Kristóf Milák is one of the most successful Hungarian swimmers of all time. He won a gold and a silver both at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, and at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He has also won three World Championship gold medals and eight European Championship gold medals during his career. After the games in Tokyo, he switched coaches, avoided public appearances, declined giving interviews, and even stopped training for a while. He later admitted that the thought of retirement had even crossed his mind in the summer of 2023, but he then brought himself back into form for the Olympics.

“I was glad that I was able to really push myself in the last 25 meters. It surprised me that I managed to make a final sprint and pull ahead of the Russian. The incredible final sprint I saw from Nándi Németh really fired me up—I really needed it, and I’m so proud of him. I was a little worried that I started a bit early, but luckily I didn’t get disqualified, and I’m also glad I managed to finish first. I didn’t have any expectations for the 100-meter race; which

makes me wonder what would happen if I actually trained,” Milák said with a smile as he spoke to the M4 camera after Thursday evening’s win.

Németh, who finished fourth at the Olympics, added that he respects Milák for being there with them, adding that initially, when they heard that Milák wouldn't be competing in the relay, he was really sad. It’s not about being jealous, but rather about recognizing that there’s a world-class swimmer capable of an incredible time. And it would be a shame not to take advantage of his abilities.

All four athletes agreed that the team still has a lot of potential. Milák, Kós, and Németh could even compete in the medley relay in the future—of course, they would still need a strong breaststroke swimmer—and they would likely be strong contenders for medals there as well.