By Brett Jager

University of Louisville swimmer and Hungarian native Adam Madarassy had no idea what to expect while waiting for his nation of Hungary to walk out into the Olympic Stadium for the opening ceremonies. He stepped into the hallway leading to the stadium and it hit him: he was participating in the Olympics.?
“I didn’t really understand how it would be until I got there,” Madarassy said. “But when I was in that hallway and I could see and hear all of the people, it was an unbelievable feeling.”?
Madarassy was overwhelmed with feelings of joy as he and his teammates took their lap in  Olympic Stadium. Those feelings continued all the way until after  the Chinese team entered the stadium last.?
“Right when China entered the stadium the place was full of electricity,” Madarassy said. “Seeing Yao lead the entire Chinese team out in front of their home crowd was a special moment for everyone involved.”
Madarassy said that, for him, the Opening Ceremonies were the best part.?
“The opening ceremony was such an unbelievable experience that I may never have again,” Madarassy said.? “Everyone in the stadium was filled with excitement the whole time and it was just amazing to me.”
Madarassy swam the 100-meter butterfly at the Olympics. He failed to make it past the preliminary rounds, but did post a personal best in the event, 53.93 seconds. His goal was high 52’s or low 53’s, and to make it into the semifinals.?
“I was very happy to go under 54 seconds, but seeing the .93 on the board was a little disappointing honestly,” Madarassy said. “I should have concentrated more on my second 50. My first one was good, but I got a little off track in my head.” ?
Although disappointed, Madarassy was still proud to post his fastest time ever.
“It was very important to me to swim my fastest time, but I felt I definitely could have gone faster,” Madarassy said. “It was like one eye was crying and one eye was laughing.”
Madarassy’s watched the finals of his event and saw Michael Phelps win gold by one one-hundredth of a second. Madarassy said he could tell Phelps was going to comeback.?
“His finish was absolutely amazing, and the Croatian guy’s was terrible,” Madarassy said. “He pulled his head up and I just felt Phelps had enough to comeback and take the victory. It was neat to see someone swimming really fast not just once, but eight times. It was a special thing to see and be a part of.”
Madarassy is unsure if he will train for the 2012 Olympics.?
“I have one more year of swimming here and I want to focus on that,” Madarassy said. “I was planning on not going, but I still may try and go for one event again.”