Two students from Széchenyi István University will strengthen the Hungarian team competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Canoeist Kincső Takács and swimmer Dalma Sebestyén will be competing among the world's best from 26 July to 11 August.

Supporting sports and a healthy lifestyle is of paramount importance to Széchenyi István University, which aids student-athletes with a dual career programme, scholarships, and club support. This spring, the institution also organized the MEFOB Festival, where representatives of college and university sports showcased their skills. The University takes further pride in the fact that two students, canoeist Kincső Takács and swimmer Dalma Sebestyén, have qualified for the Paris Olympics and will compete as members of the Hungarian team in the Olympic Games starting on 26 July.

Previously awarded at the "Sportspeople of the Year in Győr" gala, Kincső Takács was part of the Hungarian kayak-canoe team at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, where her canoe pair with now Széchenyi alumna Virág Balla finished fifth in the 500-meter final. A student on the Tourism and Hospitality programme at the Kautz Gyula Faculty of Economics, Takács secured another Olympic quota for the Hungarian team this May. She will compete individually in the 200-metre event at the Paris Games, having finished 14th in this event at the Tokyo Olympics. Fans can first cheer for the Graboplast Győr Water Sports Association athlete on Thursday morning, 8 August, during the preliminary rounds.

Kincső Takács will paddle in the 200-meter event in Paris.

 Last year, Dalma Sebestyén, who also won the title of University Athlete of the Year, achieved success after success during her Olympic preparations while not neglecting her studies either. She is pursuing a degree in Sports and Recreation Management at the Faculty of Health and Sports Sciences. The athlete from Uni-Győr Swimming SE was the first among Hungarian female competitors to achieve the Olympic qualifying time in December, securing a quota for the Paris Games in the 200-metre individual medley. We can cheer for her success for the first time on the morning of Friday, 2 August, during the event's preliminary heats.

Dalma Sebestyén will compete in the 200-metre individual medley event. (Photo: András Adorján)

 Széchenyi István University maintains a close relationship with the Uni-Győr Swimming Sports Association. Another of their athletes, Szebasztián Szabó, will also participate in the Olympic Games. The swimmer from Novi Sad will compete in the 50-metre freestyle event in Paris, with the preliminary heats taking place on Thursday, 1 August.