[1] He represented his nation Hungary at the 2008 Summer Olympics, and has won a bronze medal in the 200 m butterfly at the 2006 European Junior Swimming Championships in Palma de Mallorca, Spain with a time of 2:00.20.

Leading up to the Games, he finished with a second-place time in 1:49.91 (200 m freestyle) to dip beneath the FINA B-cut (1:52.53) at the Hungarian National Championships in Budapest.

[3] In the 200 m freestyle, Kovacs threw down a lifetime tech-suit best in 1:49.34 to race his way into third in heat four, but failed to advance further to the semifinals, finishing thirty-fifth overall in the prelims.

[4][5] Kovacs also competed as a member of the Hungarian team in the men's 4 × 200 m freestyle relay, along with fellow swimmers Dominik Kozma, Tamás Kerékjártó, and Gergő Kis.

Swimming the anchor leg in heat two, Kovacs recorded a split of 1:48.40, and the Hungarian team went on to finish the race in sixth place and thirteenth overall with a total time of 7:14.14.