File photo of swimmer Dávid Betlehem
Hungary enjoyed a standout weekend at the Open Water Swimming World Cup in Golfo Aranci, Sardinia, with Dávid Betlehem claiming two individual medals and helping secure a team bronze in the mixed 4x1500m relay.
On Sunday, Dávid Betlehem took gold in the 3-kilometer elimination sprint, capping off a remarkable performance. After advancing from his heat in second place over the opening 1500 meters, the 22-year-old Olympic bronze medalist dominated the 1000-meter semifinal and powered through the final 500 meters, outpacing France’s Marc-Antoine Olivier by over three seconds. France’s Logan Fontaine took third.
This was Dávid Betlehem’s second individual gold of the meet, following his victory in Friday’s 10-kilometer Olympic-distance race.
Hungary’s mixed relay team also climbed the podium, earning bronze in the 4×1500-meter event on Saturday. The team featured a mix of experience and youth, led by the impressive debut of 16-year-old Napsugár Nagy, competing in her first senior World Cup race. She swam the opening leg and handed over in 8th position to Viktória Mihályvári-Farkas, the reigning European champion in the 10km event, who moved the team up to 7th.
Next came Dávid Betlehem, fresh off his 10km win, who delivered a strong leg to lift Hungary into 5th before passing the baton to Olympic champion Kristóf Rasovszky. He erased a 17-second gap and surged into the lead heading into the final stretch, but was narrowly edged out in the final sprint by France and Italy.
Final Results – Mixed Relay (4x1500m):
-
France – 1:07:54
-
Italy – +0.1 seconds
-
Hungary (Napsugár Nagy, Viktória Mihályvári-Farkas, Dávid Betlehem, Kristóf Rasovszky) – +0.9 seconds
Final Results – Men’s 3km Elimination Sprint:
-
Dávid Betlehem (Hungary)
-
Marc-Antoine Olivier (France)
-
Logan Fontaine (France)
Via MTI; Featured image: MTI/Koszticsák Szilárd
The post Dávid Betlehem Shines in Sardinia with Double Gold as National Team Grabs Relay Bronze appeared first on Hungary Today.
