Hosszu set for splashing return to Singapore
Hungarian 'Iron Lady' returns to Singapore with an added feather to her cap
She is a familiar name to Singaporeans.
That's because she's been here several times for swimming meets.
But this time, when Katinka Hosszu competes in a major event in Singapore, she comes as an Olympic champion, three times over.
The Hungarian, known popularly as the "Iron Lady", broke her Olympic drought of London 2012 by winning three gold medals (100 metres backstroke, 200m medley and 400m medley) and a silver medal (200m back) in Rio, Brazil, last month.
Hosszu, 27, a winner of 35 Olympic, World and European titles, has been confirmed as an entry for the 10th edition of the Fina/airweave Swimming World Cup on Oct 21 and 22 at the OCBC Aquatic Centre.
More than 20 elite world-champion and Olympic swimmers are expected to bring the heat here, among them Olympic medallists Chad le Clos, of South Africa, and Kyle Chalmers, of Australia.
Other top-notch swimmers lined up for the event are Australian Mitch Larkin, Japanese Masato Sakai and Daiya Seto, and South African Cameron van der Burgh.
It is a bonus for the Singapore event that, while most athletes choose to take a breather after the Olympic burnout, these swimmers are out to prove that they still have much "reserve in their tanks".
EXPOSURE
In celebration of the event's 10th anniversary, Joscelin Yeo, Singapore Swimming Association's vice-president (swimming), is looking at the event as something more than just a competition.
"For our young swimmers, we're able to give them an opportunity to spar and learn from Olympic medallists and they too, have a chance to swim and compete in front of a home crowd.
"For our coaches and officials, the competition also presents a very valuable experience to network and to learn from the international swimming fraternity," said Yeo.
Team Singapore are expected to field a contingent of 40 national swimmers. The competition is also open to an additional 160 Singaporean club swimmers to encourage development of the sport at a local level using an international exposure as a platform.
And, like the past editions, there will be a fan meet-and-greet session with the stars.
The event is the seventh leg of this season's three-month competition. The eighth stop will be Tokyo (Oct 25-26) and the ninth and final meet is Hong Kong (Oct 29-30).
The third edition of the Yakult Relay Challenge, a non-competitive 4x25m relay event, will introduce a corporate participation category for the first time alongside the family, schools, masters and open classes.
Tickets can be purchased online at sportshubtix.com from tomorrow and will be available at the Singapore Indoor Stadium Box Office and all SingPost Outlets.
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