This time next week, our Consultant in Acute Medicine, Dr. Beatrix Langara, will be competing in the World Aquatics Masters Championships in Doha.

Beatrix started swimming at the age of nine in her home country, Hungary. She competed in (and won) numerous school and county galas up until the age of 15, when she hung up her costume to begin preparing for university.

Still a keen swimmer at heart, she returned to the pool aged 34, joining the Borough of Kirklees (BOK) Swimming Club, and, like a fish to water, won several medals in local and national galas, representing Britain, as well as becoming the British Champion in 2022 in the 50m breaststroke.

She's pictured below at the World Championships last year in Japan, where she took fifth place in the 50m breaststroke.

Beatrix said: “Swimming is a huge part of my life. Training is my ‘me time’. I am completely switched off, no phones, no computers, just focusing on my breathing and executing the practice as much as possible.”

She manages to fit in at least three swimming sessions a week, alongside running, yoga, her full-time role at the Trust and being a wife and mum.

When asked where she gets all her energy from, Beatrix answered: “I try my best to eat lots of protein and to limit my carbohydrate intake, but I do love sugar!”

The competition takes place between this coming Friday, 23rd February and Sunday, 3rd March and Beatrix is looking forward to heading to Doha to start her intense training, interspersed with a bit of sunbathing and some gentle camel rides. She added: "I need to be in the right head space physically and mentally to get the most out of my swims and to try to achieve some great PBs - and hopefully beat a few fellow swimmers and grab a medal with the teams." 

When asked how swimming makes her feel, she said: “We are all swimmers in the pool – it doesn't matter if you are a pensioner, an ophthalmologist, a banker, a teacher, a university lecturer, or an acute medic. We are all just swimmers there. We respect and encourage each other”.

Good luck, Beatrix, we're sure you’ll be fin-tastic!