Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 12 No. 3 | January 2020

inside.hokiesports.com 41 300 Technology Drive Christiansburg, Virginia 24073 www.inorganicventures.com Makers of the world’s most accurate Certified Reference Materials Two of our PhDs as well as eleven key members of our service, production, and business teams hold degrees from Virginia Tech. When you’ve got the right talent in place, there’s no limit to how far you can go. Proud to support the Hokies’ teams. Because the Hokies are such a big part of ours. credibility. He also knows how to coach winners, guiding American Ryan Murphy and Joseph Schooling of Hong Kong to gold medals in Rio de Janeiro in 2016  —Murphy won three of them, while Schooling won one. So why not train under someone with such credentials? That decision was an easy one for Gyorgy. “I really believe in him,” Gyorgy said. “He’s a partner in everything. If I feel tired, I can go to him and ask him to do an easier practice, or skip a practice. Or don’t do rowing between practices. If I feel the practice is not that hard for me, I can ask him to do more yardage. “He had the Hungarian coach when he won the silver medal at the Olympics, so we also have a connection. But he’s not American, so he can understand why long-course meters is more important for you than yardage. He knows everything about professional swimming.” In many respects, Gyorgy and Virginia Tech wrestler Mekhi Lewis, who also continues to train for a spot on an Olympic team, are following the same path. Both took a season away from competition for Virginia Tech, and both train in Blacksburg with their respective teams. Both also compete unattached at various meets—Gyorgy competed at the U.S. Open in Atlanta the first week of December. But because he took a redshirt season as a freshman two years ago, Lewis is taking an “Olympic” redshirt year, which precludes him from being enrolled in classes at Tech. In contrast, Gyorgy continues to take classes as part of a traditional redshirt season. In fact, with the exception of not competing for the Hokies, she follows a similar schedule to her teammates. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, she practices from 6-7:30 a.m., goes to a class, rests or studies for a few hours, returns to the Christiansburg Aquatic Center for a late afternoon practice, and then spends the rest of the evening studying. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, she practices from 6-8:30 a.m. and takes three classes in the afternoon. On Saturdays, she practices from 7-10 a.m. and then has the rest of the day free. “Sunday is my study day,” she said. “I’m a morning person. I wake up at 6-6:30. I’ll make breakfast, clean the house, study a lot, and then in the night, that’s our relaxing night. We have movie night with my teammates or my roommates.” Her long-term plan consists of getting an undergraduate degree in human development, with a minor in psychology, from Virginia Tech in December and using her final year of eligibility during the 2020-21 season. During that time, she plans to apply to graduate school at Tech in hopes of pursuing a master’s degree in family and marriage therapy with a goal of becoming a therapist. Her long-term swimming plans are a little more up in the air. She instead keeps her focus more on the short term—Gyorgy has several months and competitions to reach a qualifying standard and earn a spot on the Hungarian national team. Hungary’s national meet takes place in March, and that represents one of the final opportunities to reach a qualifying mark as well. She desperately wants another crack at the Olympics. Of course, every athlete wants that, but she wants it more for redemption. “It was just such a bad feeling,” Gyorgy said of her 2016 Olympic experience in Rio de Janeiro. “I was so nervous before I jumped into the water. Usually I can focus just on myself and don’t hear any voices from the bleachers, but it was just crazy to hear all the 10,000 people yelling and screaming and that kind of stuff. “Maybe when I finish with my career, I will look back and say, ‘Yes, I did something, and I did a good job. I represented my country, and it’s such a good feeling.’ But right now, I know myself. I can do a better job, and I’m just not happy with the result that I did.” With international experience, motivation, a proven coach, and obviously a pool full of individual talent, Gyorgy is in a perfect position. Hopefully, all those things lead to her getting that coveted second opportunity. Virginia Tech swimmer Reka Gyorgy swam for Hungary in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, but a poor performance there marred an otherwise great experience and has her motivated for a second shot next summer in Tokyo By Jimmy Robertson IHS extra