Dániel Gyurta (Hungarian pronunciation:[ˈdaːniɛlˈɟurtɒ]; born 4 May 1989)[1] is a Hungarian former competitive swimmer who mainly competed in the 200-metre breaststroke. In 2016, Gyurta became a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), he is a member of the European Olympic Committees (EOC) Athletes' Commission since 2013 and a member of the Athletes Commission since 2016.[2]
His coaches are Sándor Széles, Ferenc Kovácshegyi and Balázs Virth.
On 12 August 2008 he set an Olympic record in the preliminaries of the 200-metre breaststroke at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.[3] His record was broken one day later by Kitajima in the semi-finals. Gyurta finished fifth in the final.
At the 2009 World Aquatics Championships he won gold medal in 200 m breaststroke, edging out Eric Shanteau in the last meters. He was named Hungarian Sportsman of the year for this achievement.
Two years later Gyurta retained the gold medal at the 2011 World Aquatics Championships, thus becoming the second man to defend the world title on 200 metre breaststroke after David Wilkie of Great Britain,[4] who won the first two world titles, in 1973 and 1975.
At the 2012 London Olympics he won the gold medal and set a new world record for the 200 m breaststroke.[5]
After the race, he offered a replica of his Olympic medal to the parents of his former competitor Alexander Dale Oen in tribute to him, a gesture much appreciated by Dale's family. Dale had died on 30 April 2012, a few months before the Games.[6][7] Later, Gyurta received the international Fair Play Award from UNESCO, in respect of his medal tribute of a fallen fellow breaststroker: Alexander Dale Oen.[8][9]
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