July 24, 2008
COLLEGE STATION, Texas- A pair of Texas A&M swimmers will be competing in the second Olympic Games of their careers at the XXIX Summer Olympiad in Beijing, China.
Representing their home countries and Texas A&M at the Olympics will be sophomore Balazs Makany (Hungary) and former student Francisco Picasso (Uruguay). Makany competed for Hungary at the 2004 Athens Olympics with the 4x200-meter freestyle relay (16th place), while Picasso swam the 200-meter IM (52nd) at the 2000 Sydney Games.
Makany, who joined the Aggies in 2007-08, qualified for the 2008 Games in the 100-meter freestyle after winning the event at the 2008 Hungarian Championships in Budapest with a time of 50.00. In the preliminary rounds, Makany turned in a lifetime-best time of 49.79.
Picasso will compete in 50-meter freestyle in Beijing. His qualifying time of 22.81 came at the All-American Championships in Austin in March. Picasso swam two seasons at Texas A&M in 2006 and 2007 after transferring from Louisiana-Monroe. Picasso ranks in the top 10 in school history in the 50-yard freestyle and the 100 breaststroke.