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Rio 2016 gold medalist Katinka Hosszu: 9 random facts you need to know

Amber Matsumoto
  • <p>Hosszu was a collegiate swimmer and competed for USC. </p>
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    Hungarian gold medalist Katinka Hosszu

    Hosszu was a collegiate swimmer and competed for USC.

  • <p>She met her husband when she was a freshman at USC. He was also a member of the USC swim team. </p>
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    Hungarian gold medalist Katinka Hosszu

    She met her husband when she was a freshman at USC. He was also a member of the USC swim team.

  • <p>She struggled with English when she started at USC but worked hard and graduated with a degree in psychology. </p>
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    Hungarian gold medalist Katinka Hosszu

    She struggled with English when she started at USC but worked hard and graduated with a degree in psychology.

  • <p>Her husband Shane Tusup is also her coach. </p>
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    Hungarian gold medalist Katinka Hosszu

    Her husband Shane Tusup is also her coach.

  • <p>She is a self-proclaimed Cleveland Cavaliers fan. </p>
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    Hungarian gold medalist Katinka Hosszu

    She is a self-proclaimed Cleveland Cavaliers fan.

  • <p>She has written two motivational books and her own comic series. </p>
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    Hungarian gold medalist Katinka Hosszu

    She has written two motivational books and her own comic series.

  • <p>She has competed in four olympics: 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016. </p>
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    Hungarian gold medalist Katinka Hosszu

    She has competed in four olympics: 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016.

  • <p>Saturday's gold medal is her first Olympic medal. She can now add that to her collection of six world championship medals, including four golds; two female swimmer of the year awards; and two world records. </p>
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    Hungarian gold medalist Katinka Hosszu

    Saturday's gold medal is her first Olympic medal. She can now add that to her collection of six world championship medals, including four golds; two female swimmer of the year awards; and two world records.

  • <p>Her nickname is the “Iron Lady." </p>
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    Hungarian gold medalist Katinka Hosszu

    Her nickname is the “Iron Lady."

<p>Hosszu was a collegiate swimmer and competed for USC. </p>
<p>She met her husband when she was a freshman at USC. He was also a member of the USC swim team. </p>
<p>She struggled with English when she started at USC but worked hard and graduated with a degree in psychology. </p>
<p>Her husband Shane Tusup is also her coach. </p>
<p>She is a self-proclaimed Cleveland Cavaliers fan. </p>
<p>She has written two motivational books and her own comic series. </p>
<p>She has competed in four olympics: 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016. </p>
<p>Saturday's gold medal is her first Olympic medal. She can now add that to her collection of six world championship medals, including four golds; two female swimmer of the year awards; and two world records. </p>
<p>Her nickname is the “Iron Lady." </p>

Four years after missing the medal podium entirely in a bitterly disappointing London Olympics, Hungarian star Katinka Hosszu opened a redemptive Rio Games by dominating the 400-meter individual medley and smashing the world record. Hosszu's winning time of 4:26.36 put her easily ahead of silver medalist Maya DiRado (4:31.15) of the United States and bronze medalist Mireia Belmonte Garcia (4:32.39) of Spain.

"I didn't want to just break the record," Hosszu said. "I wanted to crush it."

– Pat Forde