Another Bob Bowman-coached swimmer wins gold, this time Hungarian Hubert Kós

1 of 11 |

Hubert Kos, of Hungary, celebrates winning the men’s 200-meter backstroke final at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Nanterre, France, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

2 of 11 |

Hubert Kos, of Hungary, poses for a photo with his gold medal in the men’s 200-meter backstroke final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Nanterre, France. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

3 of 11 |

Hubert Kos, of Hungary, is congratulated by a supporter after winning the men’s 200-meter backstroke final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Nanterre, France. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)

4 of 11 |

Hubert Kos, of Hungary, celebrates winning the men’s 200-meter backstroke final at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Nanterre, France, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

5 of 11 |

Hubert Kos, of Hungary, reacts after winning the men’s 200-meter backstroke final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Nanterre, France. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

6 of 11 |

Gold medalist Hubert Kos, center, of Hungary, silver medalist Apostolos Christou, left, of Greece, and bronze medalist Roman Mityukov, of Switzerland, pose for a photo on the podium following the men’s 200-meter backstroke final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Nanterre, France. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

7 of 11 |

Apostolos Christou, of Greece, from left, Hubert Kos, of Hungary, and Roman Mityukov, of Switzerland, celebrate during the awards ceremony for the men’s 200-meter backstroke at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Nanterre, France, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

8 of 11 |

Gold medalist Hubert Kos, of Hungary, center, silver medalist Apostolos Christou, left, of Greece, and bronze medalist Roman Mityukov, of Switzerland, pose for a photo following the men’s 200-meter backstroke final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Nanterre, France.(AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)

9 of 11 |

Hubert Kos, of Hungary, is hugged by a supporter after winning the men’s 200-meter backstroke final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Nanterre, France. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)

10 of 11 |

Hubert Kos, of Hungary, celebrates with the gold medal during the awards ceremony for the men’s 200-meter backstroke at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Nanterre, France, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

11 of 11 |

Hubert Kos, of Hungary, celebrates winning the men’s 200-meter backstroke final at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Nanterre, France, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

By STEPHEN WADE

NANTERRE, France (AP) — American coach Bob Bowman keeps cranking out Olympic gold-medal winners, swimmers trained in the United States but flying flags of other nations.

Frenchman Léon Marchand — home-country hero of the Paris Olympics — has already won three gold medals this week under Bowman’s tutelage. He’ll be the favorite for a fourth gold on Friday in the 200 individual medley.

And Michael Phelps, of course, was the first to make Bowman famous. He won 23 Olympic gold medals and reigns as a swimming legend.

Add Hungarian Hubert Kós to Bowman’s list.

Kós won the 200-meter backstroke on Thursday night in 1 minute 54.26 seconds, coming from more than a second behind over the final 50 meters to overtake silver medalist Apostolos Christou of Greece (1:54.82). Swiss Roman Mityukov took bronze (1:54.85).

So what is the Bowman magic?

“His magic touch is the work,” said Kós, who trained with Bowman at Arizona State University and has followed him to the University of Texas at Austin, where Bowman starts this season. Kos has two more years of eligibility at Texas.

“He doesn’t really let us be second best,” Kos said. “He doesn’t let us stoop down to a level that he doesn’t want from us.”

Arizona State won the NCAA swim championship powered by Marchand, Kós, and Canadian Olympic bronze medalist Ilya Kharun, who finished third behind Marchand in the 200 fly.

Paris Olympics

The Olympics are more than fun and games. They’re a billion-dollar business with political overtones.
Breakdance will make it’s debut as an Olympic sport in Paris.. Here’s what else will be different at this year’s games.
Follow all of AP’s coverage of the Summer Games.

“I’m just happy to be a part of a team like that,” Kós said.

Kós is the son of a Hungarian mother and an Irish-Hungarian father. He went to an American school, speaks like an American, and when he wanted to step up to the next level he went to Bowman in the United States.

“I’m technically 75% Hungarian,” he laughed.

Kós said he tried to save a bit in the early part of the race so he could come back strong at the end.

“I just knew that I had to do something like that to win,” he said. “Doesn’t really matter how I got there. The point is that I got there and I’m just really happy.”

Asked to summarize his Olympics joy, Kós was direct.

“I was just happy to get my hand on the wall,” he said. “But I feel really sick right now.”

___

AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Olympic Hightlights

1 of 7 |

FILE - South Africa’s Jacques Freitag competes in the men’s high jump of the 2004 Olympic Games, in the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Friday Aug. 20, 2004. Local media is reporting that South African police have discovered the body of former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag after he went missing last month. The reports said the 42-year-old, who won the 2003 world title in Paris and competed at the 2004 Olympics, had been shot. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

2 of 7 |

FILE - Ilona Maher of USA is tackled by Sharni Williams of Australia in a semifinal of the Rugby World Cup 7’s championship held in Cape Town, South Africa, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. The main task for Maher, the breakout social media star on TikTok at the Tokyo Olympics, is winning a medal in Paris. (AP Photo/Halden Krog, File)

3 of 7 |

FILE - Jacques Freitag of South Africa waves his national flag after he won the Men’s high jump event at the World Athletics Championships, at the Stade de France in Saint Denis, north of Paris, Monday, Aug. 25, 2003. Local media is reporting that South African police have discovered the body of former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag after he went missing last month. The reports said the 42-year-old, who won the 2003 world title in Paris and competed at the 2004 Olympics, had been shot. (AP Photo/Thomas Kienzle, File)

4 of 7 |

Sammy Sullivan of USA in action during HSBC rugby sevens series in Singapore, on May 4, 2024. The anthem played as Army officer Sammy Sullivan stood to attention and saluted beside her U.S. rugby teammates before a gold-medal game in Hong Kong against Olympic champion New Zealand. No prizes for guessing where her mind may have drifted to: Paris in July. (AP Photo/Suhaimi Abdullah)

5 of 7 |

USA Water Polo Women’s Senior National Team attacker Ryann Neushul, left, trains at Long Beach City College Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, in Long Beach, Calif. Following in the footsteps of two older sisters who won gold with the U.S. women’s water polo team, Ryann Neushul is making her Olympic debut in Paris this summer. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

6 of 7 |

Iranian wrestler Iman Mahdavi, 28, practices at the Lotta Club Seggiano gym, in Pioltello , northern Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

7 of 7 |

FILE - Steven van de Velde of the Netherlands competes during the CEV Beach Volley Nations Cup Vienna 2022 men’s semifinal game against Austria at the Red Bull Beach Arena in Vienna, Austria, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022. Van de Velde, convicted and imprisoned eight years ago for raping an underage girl in England has qualified for the Paris Olympics. (AP Photo/Florian Schroetter, File)