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“It’s a small risk with this step, but I have to take it”: Felix Auböck will complete the Paris countdown with head coach Balasz Fehervari.
The former swimming world champion Felix Auböck will complete his Olympic preparation in the southern part of the city under the local head coach Balasz Fehervari. After the recent disappointing final results, the 27-year-old is hoping for a boost in performance for the games, after which he will probably take a break of several months. Then the decision should be made about the time afterwards. The 27-year-old announced this in a press conference on Saturday at the ATUS Graz Trophy.
He made the decision to return to Austria from England a few weeks ago after consultation with those closest to him and OSV sports director Walter Bär. “I have a lot of confidence that I will get the support I need in the southern part of the city to be successful at the Olympic Games,” said Auböck. “Essentially my point was that if I wanted to swim in a final in Paris, I needed a change. So I had to do that.”
Auböck said he still had to plan the next twelve weeks with Fehervari. His main focus remains on the 400 m freestyle, although the Lower Austrian will also compete in the 200 and 800 m freestyle and 10 km open water at his third games. Auböck will be living at home in the “Hotel Mama” in Bad Vöslau for the next three months. “You have more support there and some things are no longer necessary.”
Swim away?
Auböck sees a problem on the 400 that although he can swim in the first 200 m, he has to invest too much and the race “swims away” from him in the first half of the race. “I didn’t have the feeling during training (in England, note) that that would change. A lot of endurance was trained.” So he would probably have achieved a time of 3:45 or 3:46 at the games, but to reach the final you would need 3:43 or 3:44, as Auböck estimates. “There is a small risk with this step, but I just have to take it.”
The decision for his homeland and for the Südstadt or Fehervari was made because he had trust in Hungary and the national swimming association. “I know exactly what to expect. We can start work next week.” It is also important to get consistent racing at a high level. That’s something he’s been missing lately. At the same time, training will probably be a little more intense, with more racing speeds. This will also be important in order not to lose too much energy in the first 200 m.
In new territory
He doesn’t have to venture into new territory, said Auböck, as he has already completed a training build-up for 3:43 (OSV record from 2022: 3:43.58; note). “It’s a step back. I know what it took to swim that. In the summer I want to swim a (personal) best time so that the Games are successful for me.” Reaching an Olympic final again would be a great success, Auböck only sees the chance of a medal with the change that has now been made. On the way there, he would like to take home a European Championship medal in Belgrade in June.
Auböck appreciates that the local swimming focus no longer rests solely on him. “We currently have many swimmers among the world’s best,” he said, addressing, among others, Vice World Champion Simon Bucher and World Cup third-placed Martin Espernberger. “The pressure isn’t just on one person.” His shoulder, which was still having problems around the turn of the year, is still doing well. “I still have pain, especially when I train a lot or after competitions. But I can put full weight on it and the pain is bearable. I’m pain-free 90 percent of the time.”
His studies in Loughborough continue alongside his sporting activities and are moving towards the final stage of his studies. “I have a big exam in September, so I’ll work through it in August.” Auböck emphasized that he hadn’t given much thought to the time after that. “There are also a lot of private things involved.”
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