László Cseh

For the Hungarian soccer player, see László Cseh (footballer).

The native form of this personal name is Cseh László. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.

László Cseh OLY (pronounced [ˈlaːsloː ˈt͡ʃɛ]; born 3 December 1985) is a retired Hungarian competitive swimmer and six-time Olympic medalist. He is a 33-time European Champion. His father, László Cseh Sr., also represented Hungary at the Olympics in swimming. In 2020, Braden Keith of SwimSwam nominated him as number 1 within top 10 male swimmers who have never won Olympic gold.

László Cseh

OLY

Personal information
National team	Hungary
Born	(1985-12-03) 3 December 1985 Budapest, Hungary
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight	82 kg (181 lb)
Website	CsehLaszlo.hu
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Individual medley, butterfly, backstroke
Club	Bp. Spartacus ( –2005) Kőbánya SC (2005–14) Egri ÚK (2015–19) BVSC-Zugló (2019– )
Coach	Miklós Kiss György Túri (1997–2014) Zsolt Plagányi (2014– )
Medal record Men's swimming Representing Hungary Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 0 4 2 World Championships (LC) 2 6 5 World Championships (SC) 0 2 2 European Championships (LC) 14 4 5 European Championships (SC) 19 3 3 Universiade 3 0 0 Total 38 19 17 Olympic Games 2008 Beijing 200 m butterfly 2008 Beijing 200 m medley 2008 Beijing 400 m medley 2016 Rio de Janeiro 100 m butterfly 2004 Athens 400 m medley 2012 London 200 m medley World Championships (LC) 2005 Montreal 400 m medley 2015 Kazan 200 m butterfly 2003 Barcelona 400 m medley 2005 Montreal 200 m medley 2009 Rome 200 m medley 2013 Barcelona 100 m butterfly 2015 Kazan 100 m butterfly 2017 Budapest 200 m butterfly 2005 Montreal 100 m backstroke 2007 Melbourne 200 m medley 2009 Rome 400 m medley 2011 Shanghai 200 m medley 2015 Kazan 50 m butterfly World Championships (SC) 2012 Istanbul 200 m butterfly 2012 Istanbul 400 m medley 2010 Dubai 200 m butterfly 2012 Istanbul 200 m medley European Championships (LC) 2004 Madrid 100 m backstroke 2004 Madrid 400 m medley 2006 Budapest 200 m medley 2006 Budapest 400 m medley 2008 Eindhoven 200 m medley 2008 Eindhoven 400 m medley 2010 Budapest 200 m medley 2010 Budapest 400 m medley 2012 Debrecen 200 m butterfly 2012 Debrecen 200 m medley 2012 Debrecen 400 m medley 2014 Berlin 200 m medley 2016 London 100 m butterfly 2016 London 200 m butterfly 2006 Budapest 200 m backstroke 2012 Debrecen 100 m butterfly 2014 Berlin 100 m butterfly 2016 London 50 m butterfly 2004 Madrid 4×100 m medley 2012 Debrecen 4×200 m freestyle 2012 Debrecen 4×100 m medley 2014 Berlin 4×100 m medley 2016 London 4×100 m medley European Championships (SC) 2003 Dublin 400 m medley 2004 Vienna 400 m medley 2005 Trieste 100 m backstroke 2005 Trieste 200 m medley 2005 Trieste 400 m medley 2006 Helsinki 200 m medley 2007 Debrecen 200 m medley 2007 Debrecen 400 m medley 2007 Debrecen 200 m butterfly 2009 Istanbul 400 m medley 2011 Szczecin 200 m butterfly 2011 Szczecin 200 m medley 2011 Szczecin 400 m medley 2012 Chartres 200 m butterfly 2012 Chartres 200 m medley 2012 Chartres 400 m medley 2015 Netanya 100 m butterfly 2015 Netanya 200 m butterfly 2015 Netanya 200 m medley 2004 Vienna 200 m medley 2006 Helsinki 400 m medley 2006 Helsinki 200 m butterfly 2002 Riesa 400 m medley 2004 Vienna 100 m backstroke 2011 Szczecin 200 m freestyle Universiade 2011 Shenzhen 200 m butterfly 2011 Shenzhen 200 m medley 2011 Shenzhen 400 m medley

Personal

The son of an Olympic swimmer, Cseh started swimming competitively at an early age. Cseh is coached by György Turi and Zoltán Nemes. He holds a scholarship with the Olympic Solidarity programme.

Swimming career

At the 2003 World Championships, Cseh captured a silver medal in the 400 m individual medley, his first medal at the highest level. He also finished 7th and 13th in the 100 and 200 metres backstroke, all in national record time.

Kazan 2015

2004 Olympics

Cseh represented Hungary at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece in the 400 m individual medley, 100 m backstroke, and the 200 m individual medley, despite having broken his ankle in the training camp on a stairway a couple of weeks before. Nevertheless, he won a bronze medal in the 400 m individual medley as well as coming in fourth in the 200 m individual medley, and sixth in the 100 m backstroke.

At the 2005 World Championships, Cseh not only improved his national records, he excelled further up in the world rankings, and entered the meet as a serious medal contender in 3 events. After Michael Phelps backed out of the 400 m individual medley, Cseh picked up his first gold medal at the world championships.

Cseh failed to back up his previous performances in the 2007 World Championships, finishing outside the medals in the 400 m individual medley; however he did set a new national record in the 200 m individual medley, along with testing out the 200 m freestyle.

2008 Olympics

Cseh represented Hungary at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing in three swimming events: the 400 m individual medley, the 200 m butterfly, and the 200 m individual medley. Despite setting the European record in all of them, he won the silver medal in each and came in second behind American Michael Phelps, who won each event with a new world record. In both individual medleys, Cseh came out ahead of the bronze-medal winner Ryan Lochte.

At the 2009 World Championships, Cseh was rushed to hospital on arrival in Rome, suffering from a stomach virus. A source close to the Hungarian team stated: "He has had to have re hydration and electrolyte drinks but is quite sick." He scratched his first event, the 200 m butterfly, however he did return to competition on day 4 setting a European record in the 200 m individual medley, swimming a touch slower the next night to capture silver, final night of competition saw him take bronze in the 400 m individual medley.

At the 2010 European Championships, Cseh held off Markus Rogan for gold in the 200 m individual medley, winning the event for the third time. Also taking gold in the 400 m individual medley for the fourth time. He scratched the European Short Course Championships to focus on the World Short Course Championships where he won a bronze in the 200 m butterfly.

At the 2011 World Championships, he took bronze in the 200 m individual medley, finished 9th in the 100 m butterfly, and 12th in the 200 m butterfly.

Cseh wins his second World Champs (long course) gold, 10 years after the first

2012 Olympics

At the 2012 Olympics, he competed in 6 events: the 200 m butterfly, 200 m individual medley, 400 m individual medley, and the 3 relays. Cseh narrowly failed to reach the final of the 400 meter individual medley, coming in 9th position in the semi-finals. He finished 12th in the 200m butterfly. Cseh did add to his Olympic medal count with a bronze in the 200 meter individual medley, touching the wall in a time of 1:56.22, behind Phelps (gold – 1:54.27) and Lochte (silver – 1:54.90).

At the 2015 World Aquatics Championships, Cseh finally won another gold, 10 years after his first, by winning the 200m butterfly in 1:53.48, 0.2 seconds ahead of Chad le Clos.

2016 Olympics

At the 2016 Olympics, he competed in the 100 m and 200 m butterfly, along with the 4 × 100 m medley relay.

In 100 m butterfly he finished 2nd along with rivals Michael Phelps and Chad le Clos, where Singaporean Joseph Schooling won the race with a new Olympic record. Cseh has now won Olympic silver medals in four different events, and he has also won individual medals in four different Olympics.

2020 Olympics

At the 2020 Olympics, Laszlo Cseh competed in his fifth and last Olympic games, entering in men's 200m IM only. The 35-year-old Hungarian stopped the clock in a time of 1:57.68 to finish 7th in the race, after the race he announced retirement from competitive swimming, ending his legendary career as 6-time Olympic medalist and 13-time World Champ medalist.

Career best times

Long course (50 m pool)

Event	Time		Meet	Location	Date	Notes
200 m freestyle	1.45.78	rh	2009 World Championships	Rome, Italy	July 31, 2009	Former NR
50 m backstroke	25.39		2008 Hungarian National Championships	Budapest, Hungary	July 9, 2008	Former NR
100 m backstroke	53.40	r	2012 Summer Olympics	London, United Kingdom	August 4, 2012	Former NR
200 m backstroke	1:56.69		2006 European Championships	Budapest, Hungary	August 5, 2006	Former NR
50 m butterfly	23.06	sf	2015 World Championships	Kazan, Russia	August 2, 2015	Former NR
100 m butterfly	50.86		2016 European Championships	London, United Kingdom	May 21, 2016	Former NR
200 m butterfly	1:52.70		2008 Summer Olympics	Beijing, China	August 13, 2008	Former ER
200 m individual medley	1:55.18	sf	2009 World Championships	Rome, Italy	July 29, 2009	NR, Former ER
400 m individual medley	4:06.16		2008 Summer Olympics	Beijing, China	July 29, 2009	NR, Former ER

Legend: ER – European record; NR – Hungarian record;
Records not set in finals: h – heat; sf – semifinal; r – relay 1st leg; rh – relay heat 1st leg; b – B final; † – en route to final mark; tt – time trial

Short course (25 m pool)

Event	Time		Meet	Location	Date	Notes
200 m freestyle	1.41.64		2009 European Short Course Championships	Istanbul, Turkey	December 13, 2009	Former NR
50 m backstroke	24.31		2009 Hungarian Short Course National Championships	Százhalombatta, Hungary	November 13, 2009	Former NR
100 m backstroke	51.29		2005 European Short Course Championships	Trieste, Italy	December 11, 2005	Former NR
50 m butterfly	22.88	sf	2017 European Short Course Championships	Copenhagen, Denmark	December 16, 2017	Former NR
100 m butterfly	49.33		2015 European Short Course Championships	Netanya, Israel	December 3, 2015	NR
200 m butterfly	1:49.00		2015 European Short Course Championships	Netanya, Israel	December 6, 2015	ER
100 m individual medley	53.11		2012 FINA Swimming World Cup	Berlin, Germany	October 20, 2012	Former NR
200 m individual medley	1.51.36		2015 European Short Course Championships	Netanya, Israel	December 4, 2015	NR, Former ER
400 m individual medley	3:57.27		2009 European Short Course Championships	Istanbul, Turkey	December 11, 2009	NR, Former WR

Legend: WR – World record; ER – European record; NR – Hungarian record;
Records not set in finals: h – heat; sf – semifinal; r – relay 1st leg; rh – relay heat 1st leg; b – B final; † – en route to final mark; tt – time trial

World Records

Cseh has set 5 world records throughout his career. All of the records were individually set in a short course (25-meter) pool.

Short course (25 m pool)

No.	Event	Time	Meet	Location	Date	Status
1	200 m individual medley	1:53.46	2005 European Short Course Championships	Trieste, Italy	December 8, 2005	Former
2	400 m individual medley	4:00.37	2005 European Short Course Championships	Trieste, Italy	December 9, 2005	Former
3	200 m individual medley (2)	1:52.99	2007 European Short Course Championships	Debrecen, Hungary	December 13, 2007	Former
4	400 m individual medley (2)	3:59.33	2007 European Short Course Championships	Debrecen, Hungary	December 14, 2007	Former
5	400 m individual medley (3)	3:57.27	2009 European Short Course Championships	Istanbul, Turkey	December 11, 2009	Former

Awards

• Hungarian swimmer of the Year (9): 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2016
• Cross of Merit of the Republic of Hungary – Golden Cross (2004)
• Swimming World Magazine – European Swimmer of the Year (2): 2005, 2006
• Hungarian Athlete of the Year (1) - the National Sports Association (NSSZ) awards: 2006
• Budapest Pro Urbe award (2006)
• Hungarian Sportsman of the Year (2) - votes of sports journalists: 2006, 2015
• Junior Príma award (2007)
• Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary – Officer's Cross (2008)
• Honorary Citizen of Balatonalmádi (2008)
• Príma Primissima award (2009)
• Honorary Citizen of Kőbánya (2011)
• Order of Merit of Hungary – Commander's Cross (2012)
• Hungarian university athlete of the year (1): 2015
• Hungarian Heritage Award (2015)
• European swimmer of the year (LEN) (2015)
• Honorary Citizen of Eger (2016)
• Order of Merit of Hungary – Commander's Cross with Star (2016)

External links

• László Cseh at World Aquatics
• László Cseh at Swimrankings.net
• László Cseh at Olympics.com
• László Cseh at Olympedia
• László Cseh at the Magyar Olimpiai Bizottság (in Hungarian) (English translation)
• Official website at the Wayback Machine (archived 2018-03-07) (in Hungarian)