Gréta Kerekes' name was known throughout the world during the Olympics in athletics, as she was a member of the Hungarian women's Olympic delegation together with Luca Kozák and Anna Tóth. The Hungarian 100m hurdles champion, who won a bronze medal at the European Games in 2023, also performed admirably in Paris, and we can only hope that PHARMAFLIGHT played a small part in this. Why do we think so? The following interview with Gréta will tell us, among other things.

Gréta Kerekes, olympic hurdler

- Gréta, just a week or two after the Olympic Games, how do you feel about the Paris events?

- It's very difficult to express what I feel, because for me it was a dream come true to be at the Olympics, so I really look back on Paris with a good heart. It feels great to be an Olympian! I was talking a little bit with my friends and family about how, when I was a little girl watching the Olympics, I thought the athletes who went to the Olympics were very special. But I didn't think it was any different than a World Cup, but since I've been home and I've been meeting and talking to people who know I'm an Olympian and seeing that it's a miracle for them, that's when I really feel that it's really special.

Gréta ran on track 5 in Stade de France

- How was the competition from the inside?

- In short, fantastic. The organisation was also very good, I was pleasantly disappointed with the French, because I had a lot of bad experiences in previous races, but as much as people read negative things in the media, I can't say anything bad about it as a competitor who spent a week out there. The athletics competition itself was really fantastic, because it was held in a stadium of 70,000 people, and it was always packed with a great atmosphere. You could feel that the French love sport and athletics, they were cheering and happy for everyone, and everyone was appreciated by the spectators who took to the track.

- How did your preparation go and how did PHARMAFLIGHT contribute to it?

- My preparation went very well, thanks to Botond (Dr. Botond Szűcs, Chief Biologist at PHARMAFLIGHT – the editor), with whom I was in daily contact. I knew exactly what condition I was in based on the measurements he provided. There were days when I felt very well, but the measurements told me that I needed more recovery, but there were also days when I felt a bit sick and scared that I wouldn't be able to train seriously for a few days, but the measurements told me otherwise. It also gave me self-awareness about myself, because I realised that if I had a little cold in me, for example, it might not necessarily affect my physical performance.

Thanks to PHARMAFLIGHT's physiological measurement, Gréta always knew in what condition she is in

- When you went to Paris, did you feel that the preparation was successful?

- Physically I was very fit, it was more the mental part that was very tiring, because qualification itself was a real chase. When I found out that I was definitely going to qualify, it was a great weight off my mind because I thought that the chase was over. However, I was suffering from a lot of minor illnesses and colds, which were probably psychological. I also thought I was a bit unlucky, because I had a big fall two weeks before the Olympics, and I crashed, but these are not excuses, it was rather expected that the psychological burden would come out in the end.

- Regardless, you should be absolutely satisfied with your result...

- I said immediately after the race, when I was interviewed by M4, that if you look at the time only, I am not satisfied. However, I can take the second run of the series with a clear heart, it was really me, I had a very good start, and the girls and I were even a bit surprised that the times were not so good. But I think that in the Olympics it's not only the time that counts, but the fact that I came off the track happy and with a big smile on my face.

Gréta Kerekes at the start (center)

- Gréta, it's no secret that you're 31 years old, so it's probably not inappropriate to ask, what's next, will there be another run in Los Angeles?

- No, and I can say this because I would not be able to mentally endure this chase, because the past year has been very exhausting, and even the years before. Actually, at 35, I could fit it in if I really wanted to, but I feel like I've maxed it all out. Obviously there is still time to improve, but perhaps I can say that I have achieved my main goal.

- Does this also mean that you are retiring?

- It's not officially stated yet, but more than likely it does. I've always said that I really wanted to retire in a way that was my decision and not have to stop because of injury. That's as lucky as an athlete can get when he or she retires of their own volition, at the top. So far I have put everything from my personal life on the back burner, and let's face it, there is life after sport.

- Would your cooperation with PHARMAFLIGHT continue after this?

- I would very much like it to continue, we will discuss this with the management this week. I have a master's degree in sports economics and I am open to civil life. I have had a great time with the PHARMAFLIGHT team and I am very interested in the research that goes on there. We will see. I hope so. All the more so as I would definitely stay in Debrecen.