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Zsofia
BALAZS |
Sport |
Open Water Swimming |
NOC |
Canada
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Gender | Women |
Born | 04 Jul 1990
in Budapest, HUN |
Height | 1.68 m |
Weight | 58 kg |
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Further Personal Information |
Residence |
Toronto, ON, CAN |
Higher education |
Police Studies - Humber College: Canada |
General Interest |
Hobbies |
Going to the cinema, spending time with family and friends, go-karting, riding roller coasters. (swimming.ca, 07 Nov 2014) |
Hero / Idol |
Hungarian swimmer Agnes Kovacs, Canadian swimmer Elizabeth Warden. (guadalajara.olympic.ca, 31 Oct 2011; Swimming Canada, 10 May 2007) |
Further Personal Information |
Languages |
English, Hungarian |
General Interest |
Other information |
RETIREMENT She retired from competitive swimming in 2016 to focus on her career as a police officer. "It was a good time to move on and start a new career." (swimming.ca. 02 Nov 2016)
NATIONAL FIRST She became the first woman to compete for Canada in open water swimming at the Olympic Games when she took part in the 10km event at the 2012 Games in London. (canadianimmigrant.ca, 30 May 2014; triathlonmagazine.ca, 14 Feb 2014)
FROM HUNGARY TO CANADA She was born in Hungary but moved with her family to Canada at age 13. "I was scared because I was one of those people who thought Canada was a country full of snow, ice and igloos. I was convinced I would have to dogsled to school. Obviously that isn't true, and when we arrived I was at swim club training within a couple of days. (thestar.com, 11 Oct 2014; canadianimmigrant.ca, 30 May 2014) |
Injuries |
In 2009 she suffered severe concussion after a teammate mistakenly dived into her lane and elbowed her in the head. The injury kept her out of action for six months. (thestar.com, 11 Oct 2014; triathlonmagazine.ca, 14 Feb 2014) |
Sport Specific Information |
Why this sport? |
Her parents encouraged her to learn to swim, and to continue the sport to help with her asthma. |
General Interest |
Awards and honours |
She was a torch bearer for the 2015 Pan American Games torch relay. (tpsnews.ca, 17 Mar 2015) |
Sport Specific Information |
When and where did you begin this sport? |
She first tried swimming at age four in Hungary. |
Further Personal Information |
Occupation |
Police Officer |
General Interest |
Nicknames |
Zsofi (Twitter profile,12 Nov 2016) |
Sporting philosophy / motto |
"If you have a goal, don't give up. Keep doing what your heart tells you to do. Follow your dreams. No dream is too small to follow. No dream is too big to achieve." (tpa.ca, 02 May 2015) |
Pan American Games |
Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
4 |
2007 |
Rio de Janeiro, BRA |
200m Butterfly |
2:13.99 |
7 |
2007 |
Rio de Janeiro, BRA |
400m Freestyle |
4:17.87 |
2 |
2007 |
Rio de Janeiro, BRA |
4 x 200m Freestyle Relay |
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World Championships |
Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
19 |
2013 |
Barcelona, ESP |
10km |
1:58:28.5 |
12 |
2013 |
Barcelona, ESP |
5km - Team Time Trial |
57:13.7 |
26 |
2011 |
Shanghai, CHN |
5km |
1:01:39.0 |
40 |
2011 |
Shanghai, CHN |
10km |
2:10:01.7 |
10 |
2011 |
Shanghai, CHN |
5km - Team Time Trial |
1:02:08.7 |
33 |
2009 |
Rome, ITA |
10km |
2:02:24.3 |
World Cup |
Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
46 |
2015 |
San Miguel de Cozumel, MEX |
10km |
1:59:13.00 |
15 |
2013 |
San Miguel de Cozumel, MEX |
10km |
2:10:48.80 |
5 |
2012 |
Lac St. Jean, QC, CAN |
10km |
2:02:51 |
14 |
2012 |
Santos, BRA |
10km |
2:23:40.94 |
10 |
2012 |
Viedma, ARG |
10km |
2:02:28 |
31 |
2007 |
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10km |
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Pan Pacific Championships |
Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
4 |
2010 |
Irvine, CA, USA |
10km |
2:02:23.35 |
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