Olympic champ Rasovszky keen to push his limits

Kristof Rasovszky's body is a canvas that tells the story of his connection with water — sharks inked on his chest, Olympic rings on his rib and a fish on his upper right arm.

- Kimberly Kwek

Each tattoo shows the Hungarian open water swimmer's affinity with aquatics, and it is no surprise that his favourite is the image of Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea, wielding his trident, on his right forearm.

While Poseidon is known for his volatile temperament and command of the seas, Rasovszky is a steady and powerful force in his sport after navigating its challenging elements to become one of the world's best.

"I like water and being around water, so it's closely tied to who I am," he said of his tattoos in a video interview on European Aquatics' YouTube channel in 2024.

At 28, he boasts a glittering resume that includes a 10km Olympic gold from the 2024 Paris Games his country's first in the event and the 10km world title at the 2024 Doha championships.

He earned his first 10km title at the European championships in May, along with golds in the mixed 4x1,500m relay and men's 3km knockout sprint, which is making its world championship debut in Singapore.

As the open water swimming competition at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships gets under way in the waters off Sentosa's Palawan Beach on July 16, Rasovszky will be among the favourites.

His success has only deepened his hunger for more. In an interview with World Aquatics in April, Rasovszky said it would be "amazing" to replicate the Netherlands' Sharon van Rouwendaal's feat of winning medals at three consecutive Olympics.