{"id":362802,"date":"2019-04-06T10:00:57","date_gmt":"2019-04-06T17:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=362802"},"modified":"2019-04-05T14:53:05","modified_gmt":"2019-04-05T21:53:05","slug":"swimming-world-presents-lessons-with-legends-tamas-szechy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/swimming-world-presents-lessons-with-legends-tamas-szechy\/","title":{"rendered":"Swimming World Presents “Lessons with Legends: Tamas Szechy”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lessons with Legends: Tamas Szechy<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

\"dolfin<\/a><\/p>\n

When athletes descended upon Budapest for the 2017 FINA World Championships, one of the pools in use was the Tamas Szechy<\/strong> Swimming Complex, part and parcel of the Alfr\u00e9d Haj\u00f3s National Swimming Stadium main arena.<\/p>\n

Considered by many to be the grandfather of Hungarian swimming, Szechy (1931-2004) was an old-school coach, initially partial to mega yardage, but also a physiologist with a fine scientific mind.<\/p>\n

Initially trained in track and field, he worked with athletes in power events before developing the popular three macro-cycle training program still widely used today. Operating out of the Central Sports Club in Budapest, he achieved aquatic excellence by leading his charges through equal months of cross training, quickness and endurance, and competition preparation.<\/p>\n

And excel they did.<\/p>\n

Known in his home country as the \u201cSwimming Pope,\u201d he coached eight swimmers\u2014Andras Hargitay<\/strong>, Sandor Wladar<\/strong>, Zoltan Verraszto<\/strong>, Alban Vermes<\/strong>, Jozsef Szabo<\/strong>, Tamas Darnyi<\/strong>, Norbert Rozsa<\/strong> and Attila Czene<\/strong>\u2014to 15 Olympic medals from 1972 to 1996 (eight gold, four silver and three bronze).<\/p>\n

At eight World Championships between 1973 and 1998, his swimmers won 21 medals (12 gold, three silver, six bronze) while notching 30 European Championship medals (16 gold, eight silver, six bronze). In all, he had five Olympic gold medalists, five world champions and four world record holders. Of the latter group, Darnyi (three\/200 IM, three\/400 IM) and Rozsa (three\/100 breast) held nine world records. Hargitay and Verraszto also each set a world record in the 400 IM.<\/p>\n

\u201cSzechy was the first foreign coach to come to the U.S. for training purposes,\u201d says fellow Hungarian Jon Urbanchek. California and Arizona were constant destinations in his global quest for warmer training climes. \u201cIt was very unusual back then for a communist country to come to America,\u201d says Urbanchek. But come they did, often performing exceedingly well as evidenced by a 1-2-3 Hungarian sweep of the 400 IM at the National AAU Indoor Swimming Championships in April 1976.<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

To read more about Tamas Szechy and the legends he inspired as a coach,
\ncheck out the April 2019<\/a> issue of Swimming World Magazine<\/em>, available now!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Swimming World subscribers can download this issue in the Swimming World Vault<\/span><\/a><\/span>!<\/p>\n

\"SW<\/a><\/p>\n

Get Swimming World Magazine<\/em> and Swimming World Biweekly<\/em> FREE When You
\nBecome A Member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame<\/em><\/a><\/h3>\n

Want More? Subscribe With This Special 2-Year Offer!<\/a> <\/em><\/h3>\n

New! 1-Year Digital Only Subscription for just $39.95 Order Now<\/span>!<\/a><\/i><\/h3>\n

Non-Subscribers Can Download This Issue For Only $5.94<\/a><\/p>\n