Honoree Questions for: Agnes Kovacs ~ May 2026
You were inducted in 2014, tell us what you have been up to since then?
Thank you, I am doing great. In 2015 I had another induction in the U.S., I was inducted into the Sun Devil Hall of Fame at Arizona State University where I spent 4 years as a student athlete. Both titles mean a lot to me.
In 2022 I got married and in the same year my second son arrived in the family, which is a highlight in our lives.
I finished my PhD studies at the Hungarian University of Physical Education in 2022 in the Department of Social Sciences. My research field was related to elite athletes and to sport media.
What do you do for work / as a profession?
I am a career coach; I earned my certificate from U.C. Berkely in 2017. I work for companies and for different organizations as a trainer and as a business coach in leadership programs and other fields as well.
I returned to the Hungarian University of Physical Education in 2026 as an assistant professor in the Department of Social Sciences. I teach sport communication and sport diplomacy for foreign students in English. I am also active in international sports diplomacy on behalf of the Hungarian Olympic Committee. I am the co-chair of the Budapest Olympic Committee. We are the only country in the all-time top 10 medal ranking who haven’t hosted a game yet. We hope this will change!
Are you still involved in swimming in any capacity?
I was the CEO of my own swimming academy for 8 years. It was great to be involved with the sport that I love, swimming. Under my leadership 15,000 kids learned to swim in our program. I am still so proud of my team for accomplishing this huge achievement in terms of quality and volume at the same time.
Do you still stay in touch with any swimming friends from your competition days, if so, who?
Yes, I keep in touch with fellow swimmers at national and international level. Globalization, especially social media, helps a lot with communication.
If you have children, do your kids swim, if yes, tell us about them, if no, tell us about what they are involved in (sports, arts, etc.)
My 14-year-old was swimming for 8 years and then he decided to choose another sport. My 3-year-old will start swimming next fall. Both have loved water from a very early age.
What is best memory of your days in swimming? (You can have more than one)
I always loved competing better than practicing. My favorite swim is from Sydney 2000 when my Olympic dream came true. My other big memory is from the 2006 European Championships which were held in my hometown of Budapest. I have competed in so many places before and finally it was magnificent to swim in front of the Hungarian audience and to celebrate the medals with them after the races.
Seeing the changes that have occurred in swimming/aquatics now versus when you were competing, do you wish you could have competed now, or are you glad you competed when you did and why?
I was happy being a swimmer back then and I would be happy to be a swimmer nowadays as well. There are always pros and cons about when is the best time, but what really matters to me is that my love for swimming is timeless.
Have you written a memoir/book about yourself, if yes, what’s the title and can our readers purchase it? If not, do you ever plan on writing a book?
I do not have a book yet, but I am planning on writing one.
Any advice to all the future want-to-be Olympic swimmers out there?
Have big dreams, have goals, have ambitions, find a coach who believes in you and guides you, work hard and never ever give up!!!
As an Olympian, National Team Member, you travelled all over the world. What was your favorite place you visited, or your favorite meet to attend?
I love traveling and I love many places. My favorite one is still my home country Hungary, and my hometown Budapest. The best thing about traveling is to explore and then to return home. This is what I felt as a swimmer and this is what I still feel when I am traveling. We have hosted many huge swims meets – we will have the World Championships in Budapest again next year – and many other sport events. I hope one day we can host the Olympic Games as well, then the whole world can see our beautiful capital and the entire country as well.
We are all looking forward to visiting Agnes and her beautiful hometown of Budapest next Summer, as the city hosts the World Aquatics World Championships in 2027.
To read Agnes’s 2014 bio and watch her Honoree Induction speech, click here: