Swimming: Kristóf Milák will catch Dressel sooner or later – Csaba Sós

– Let's start at the beginning: what was your first thought when the Japanese announced that they would not host the World Championships in Fukuoka that was originally scheduled for May?
– I wasn't in despair as it is an even year. At this time, the scheduled event is the European Championships, which is going to be in Rome in August – replied Csaba Sós, head coach of the Hungarian national swim team.

– Simultaneously with the announcement, there was news about postponing the event. Did you not fear that two World Championships and an Olympics would be a lot in a year and a half?
– As far as I know, this scenario still exists because we just jumped in, but Fukuoka's right to host remained. Therefore, in that year and a half, there will be two World Championships, one European Championships, and the Paris Olympics. It is certainly unfortunate, and it should also be decided whether the Fukuoka or Doha World Championships will be considered a qualification tournament.

– At the beginning of February came the turnaround that Hungary would host the World Aquatics Championships in June instead of May. Were you happy with the decision?
– Why wouldn't I have been happy?! I remember the 2017 World Championships was when I made my debut as head coach, and then my next thought was that it was a great relief for us Hungarians that we don't have to travel to the competition, nor do we have to deal with acclimatization.

– We'll get back to the World Championships from five years ago, but first, let's talk about the fact that not only Hungarian swimmers, but also foreign swimmers love the Duna Aréna. I wonder why.
– I could talk about the fact that there is an indoor 50-meter warm-up pool next to the competition pool in the Duna Aréna, and there are only a few like that in the world. However, it makes no sense to talk about them because it is like love, we can hardly say why we are so passionate about the other, at most, we can say “just because.” Certainly, when a swimmer enters the Duna Aréna, they are immediately captivated by the environment – Caeleb Dressel said after the 2017 World Championships that every World Championships should be in Budapest, even though he has already seen many swimming pools.

– You mentioned that you debuted as head coach at the World Championships five years ago. What is the first thing of the unforgettable experiences that comes to mind about the competition?
– Not what, but who: many people did not even know that Kristóf Milák lives here among us. I have already noticed his talent, his silver medal in the 100m butterfly, and even more so, his swimming made it clear that we will have a fixed star. I often play with the idea what would have happened if I had picked him in the 200m butterfly, but we had world champion László Cseh and Olympic bronze medalist Tamás Kenderesi with us, so I could not have decided otherwise. However, I often think that maybe he would have already won a world championship gold in the 200m butterfly then.

– Thus, he won in this distance "only" two years later, in 2019. Kristóf Milák barely comments on the title defense. More precisely, he says that he wants to approach his world record at the time, but there is no point in talking about medals particularly – this is a pretty clear statement.
– Kristóf Milák is world-class swimmer. He is such a luminous star that you don't even have to be a professional to determine it.

– In 100, however, another star is waiting for him, the American Caeleb Dressel.
– Indeed, and I also don't deny that I like Dressel very much. He's a very nice, likable guy. But Milák is the younger one. And I mention this only because just as a young boxer is not allowed to go against an adult of the same weight because he would beat him down, in swimming, a part of physical strength comes with age, that is, in addition to training, there is definitely a natural development in terms of strength. And this is very evident in the 100m butterfly, and this tells me that Kristóf will eventually catch Dressel sooner or later.

– Kristóf Milák won two medals, one gold and one silver from the Hungarian swimming team at the Olympics. The opinions are divided on this subject: some consider Tokyo a successful competition, and others say Tokyo was less successful. Which camp does the captain belong to?
– I hoped for more medals because we had a chance to do better. Of course, it is striking that, for example, only four European female swimmers won medals in Tokyo, as those from this continent had to cope not only with the jet lag but also with the fact that the finals were held in the morning. Nevertheless, Dávid Verrasztó could have won the 400 medleys – I have never seen such a close finish in this distance in my life. Tamás Kenderesi would have also been a medalist in the 200m butterfly if he swam alongside eventually third-placed Federico Burdisso of Italy. Overall, we have more results that are worth points, so I can't say I'm dissatisfied.

–If we end the World Championships in Budapest with one gold and one silver medal, would you say the same thing?
–We might win four medals and I won't be happy, but maybe we'll only collect three and I will be. Besides, reality is telling me that we can win three to five medals. When and what I am satisfied with, I can only tell after the World Championships.