Canadian Hungarian / Hungarian Canadian

A lot of people ask me if I race as Hungarian or Canadian at international events. Most of the time these questions come from national associations or the media. I would like to address the issue because it is an important one for me.

The short answer is: in triathlon I race as Hungarian; in running I race as Canadian.

This came about coincidentally but once I realized this is how things naturally worked out, I embraced it and decided to keep it this way. I feel it truly represents who I am and that I look at both countries as my home.

I was born in Hungary and spent the first 28 years of my life there. My mom and my sister with her family are still in Hungary and we like to visit them every year. I moved to Canada with my Canadian-born husband 12 years ago and I get opportunities here that I wouldn't have gotten had I stayed in Hungary. I'm incredibly grateful for that.

When I first decided that I wanted to race the ITU Long-Course Triathlon World Championship in 2019, the selection race for the Canadian Team had already passed and I had missed it. So I reached out to the Hungarian Triathlon Association and they welcomed me to the Hungarian Team. 

As for running, when I first decided to participate in a big international event, it was the North- and Central-American Championship for World Masters Athletics. Since Hungary is not in America, it was natural that I join Athletics Canada and race for Canada.

That's how it all started and I'm proud to represent both countries in my sporting life. I don't think there are any rules against being associated with different countries in international sporting events as long as I'm not aspiring to compete at the Olympics which I'm not. I'm a proud Canadian Hungarian / Hungarian Canadian and I wish to keep it this way. I couldn't choose but luckily I don't have to.