József Szabó is a swimmer who has competed for Hungary. He competed at the 1988 Summer Olympic Games.
Szabo arrived at his first Olympics in 1988 as a top medal favorite in the 200 metres breaststroke. He also launched a "wave action" breaststroke technique and used it to move ahead of the competitors. Other swimmers, including Mike Barrowman, learned and applied this technique under the guidance of Szabo's coach József Nágy.
After missing out the podium in the 400 metres individual medley, Szabo entered the 200 metres breaststroke final with the second-seeded time from the heats, almost four tenths of a second (0.4) behind Nick Gillingham. The final started in a sprint race with Valeri Lozik leading the field. Szabo used his "wave-action" technique at the final lap to surpass Lozik, Gillingham, and the rest of the field and end the race with a gold in a new European record of 2:13.52.
Olympic Results[]
| Year | Event | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Men's 200m breaststroke | 
|
| Men's 200m individual medley | 23rd | |
| Men's 400m individual medley | 4th |
1988[]
| Discipline | Round | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200 metres breaststroke | Heats | 2:14.97 | |
| A Final | 2:13.52 | AR | |
| 200 metres individual medley | Heats | 2:09.08 | |
| Final | Did not advance | ||
| 400 metres individual medley | Heats | 4:20.85 | |
| A Final | 4:18.15 | ||