Krisztina Egerszegi

5-time Olympic Gold Medalist: "Greatest Backstroke Swimmer of All Time," youngest Olympic Champion of all time, and only woman to win five gold medals in individual swimming events!

Queen Krisztina...youngest Olympic Champion of all time!
Hailed as "Queen Krisztina" in Hungary, she inspires a great deal of affection from her fans who watched her grow from a skinny teenage prodigy into an attractive young woman and youngest Olympic Champion of all time. Krisztina Egerszegi is the only woman to win five gold medals in individual swimming events. Egerszegi was only 14 years old when she competed at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Emboldened by the silver medal she gained in the 100m backstroke, she felt that she could upset the favored East Germans at 200m, even though, at 45kg, she was 19kg lighter than any of her opponents in the final. Egerszegi sprinted into the lead after the mid-race turn and won going away. In 1992, Egerszegi, by now a seasoned 18-year-old, won both backstroke events. She also entered and won the 400m individual medley, recording the fastest time since Petra Schneider's chemically augmented 1982 world record.

At the 1996 Atlanta Games, Egerszegi earned a bronze medal in the 400 IM and then won the 200m backstroke to become only the second swimmer in history to win the same event three times. Her margin of victory, 4.15 seconds, was the greatest in any women's 200m event. In 1996, Egerszegi did not enter the 100m backstroke, however her leadoff backstroke time in the medley relay, 1:01.15, was faster than the winning time in the 100m backstroke final.Look at this incredible record:

• 1988 Olympics - 200 m backstroke (1 Gold Medal), 100m backstroke (1 Silver Medal)
• 1989 European Championship - 100m, 200m backstroke, 400m individual medley (3 Silver Medals)
• 1991 European Championship - 100m, 200m backstroke, 400m individual medley (3 Gold Medals)
• 1991 World Championship - 100m, 200m backstroke (2 Gold Medals)
• 1992 Olympics - 100m, 200m backstroke, 400m individual medley (3 Gold Medals)
• 1993 European Championship - 100m, 200m backstroke, 200m butterfly, 400m individual medley (4 Gold Medals)
• 1994 World Championship - 200m backstroke (1 Silver Medal)
• 1995 European Championship - 200m backstroke, 400m individual medley (2 Gold Medals)
• 1996 Olympics - 200m backstroke (1 Gold Medal), 400m individual medley (1 Bronze Medal)

Source: The Hungary Page