Where the Impossible Becomes Possible: All Records Set In Budapest’s Duna Arena

2024 SHORT COURSE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

• 10-15 December 2024
• Duna Arena, Budapest, Ungheria
• SCM (25m)
• Meet Central
• Roster index

From December 10 to 15, 2024, some of the most prominent swimmers in the global aquatic scene will dive into the water. Among the lanes of the Duna Arena, athletes like Kate Douglass, Gretchen Walsh, Regan Smith, Hubert Kos, and Siobhan Haughey will be ready to continue Hungary’s tradition as a stage for countless and spectacular world records.

THE DUNA ARENA

The place where magic happens lies opposite Margit-sziget, Margaret Island and is known as the Duna Arena. It’s in it’s waters that many extraordinary performances occurred, such as those by Adam Peaty in breaststroke or Caeleb Dressel during the International Swimming League. Between 2017 and 2023, these lanes saw a total of 33 world records, 10 of which remain unbeaten.

This temple of magic is still relatively young, as it was built in 2017, but has quickly become one of the most important venue of our sport. Completed in a record time of two years, this wonder of Budapest was initially meant to be ready for the 2021 World Championships. However, after Guadalajara withdrew its bid to host the 2017 World Championships, the Hungarian capital was chosen as a replacement.

Hungarians hoped the venue might eventually host the 2024 Olympics and expanded the original project, though that bid was eventually awarded to Paris. The Duna Arena rises 44 meters tall—just two meters shorter than the Statue of Liberty in New York—with an area covering 2/3 of Buckingham Palace and a water capacity equivalent to 150,000 beer kegs!

With an accomodation of 5,000 to 12,000 spectators, the Duna Arena is ready to welcome thousands of fans who will witness some of the greatest moments in the modern era of swimming, especially given its relatively young age.

THE TEMPLE OF THE IMPOSSIBLE

In its seven years of existence, this pool has hosted two long-course World Championships (2017 and 2022), one European Championship (2021), two seasons of the International Swimming League (short course), and two World Cup stages. Now, it’s preparing to host a short-course World Championship for the first time.

Does the water in this pool possess some magical power over the champions of swimming?

Leaving aside these poetic but scientifically unsupported words, it seems clear that, at least so far, the atmosphere generated by the Duna Arena does indeed have a special effect on international champions. I’m not referring to the pool’s depth or the presence of cameras, but I’m firmly convinced that the atmosphere, timing, and spectators play an enormous—if not the greatest—role in producing extraordinary performances.

It’s no coincidence that the 2017 World Championships, with an additional 10,000 seats in the Duna Arena’s stands, nearly reached 15,000 spectators per finals session and saw the highest number of records set. A different scenario unfolded during the International Swimming League, held during the pandemic. Swimmers were confined to the “swimming bubble” at the Duna Arena. In that case, the contributing factors to breaking many limits were different, including the habit of competing frequently at such a high level. Yet even then, the records set at the Duna Arena were among the most spectacular.

WHAT RECORDS HAVE BEEN SET IN THE DUNA ARENA?

Here are the 33 world records set so far at the Duna Arena. Equally divided between men’s and women’s events, backstroke (9 records) and breaststroke (8 records) dominate the statistics.

Of these, 10 are current unbeaten records and are marked with an asterisk.

* current records

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS BUDAPEST 2017 (50m)

2^ LEG OF WORLD CUP SERIES 2018 (25m)

1^ INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING LEAGUE 2019 (25m)

2^ INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING LEAGUE 2020 (25m)

EUROPEAN CHAMPS BUDAPEST 2021 (50m)

WORLD CHAMPS BUDAPEST 2022 (50m)

3^ LEG OF WORLD CUP SERIES 2023 (50m)