MTI reports that Balázs Holló and Gábor Zombori did not reach the finals of the 400m individual medley on the second day of swimming competition at the Paris Olympics. Both Hungarian competitors swam the five rings at the European Championships in Belgrade in June, which placed them 11th and 12th in the field. Another Olympic figure, France’s Leon Marchand, was also in attendance, receiving a standing ovation at a packed La Défense Aréna in Paris.
Zombori was the first to jump into the pool, and fell short of the best (4:11.70) of his 21-year-old student Balázs Virth, who finished 14th with a time of 4:14.88 minutes.
The swimming wasn't great, but I'm glad I was able to be here, because it was a bumpy road to get here. When I saw how many people were here, it was an amazing experience. The fact that it didn't go well was part of it, because I was really at my best in Belgrade, and doing that twice in one month is almost impossible.
Zombori told MTI.
Then, 25-year-old Hollo followed in the same race with Marchand, who changed coaches three months ago after they parted ways with Otto Kovacs after 13 years, and has since been training with Daniel Hotkai.
The Hungarian competitor, a regular finalist in recent years, finished sixth in 4:12.20, just missing out on the final eight in ninth place, finishing 6-8. First place, both swam 4:11.52, a century worse than Hollo's time in the finals in Belgrade.
I'm unlucky now. We simply had to improve in Belgrade, so I honestly admit that I counted on that a little bit. I'm not surprised, but I'm very happy that I was able to get out here. In addition, this preliminary race was almost equivalent to the final, it was a great atmosphere, and almost everyone had to push, except for the first two races.
He said hello.
