In 2017, the Duna Arena in Budapest, Hungary hosted its maiden voyage in the World Aquatics Championships. The 13,000-seat venue showcased the Hungarian people’s love for aquatics sports in one of the most memorable World Championships in the last 20 years.

It was also the year that swimming shifted in the nation of Hungary.

For a nation that had produced some of the best swimmers of all-time like Tamas Darnyi and Krisztina Egerszegi, it was the first time a global event like the World Championships came to the country.

And the people showed out.

When having conversations with the athletes, coaches, journalists and the fans that were there, the noise and electricity of the crowd always comes up. Although Budapest had hosted European Championships in 2006 and 2010 in the Alfred Hajos National Swimming Stadium out on Margaret Island, having the World Championships in 2017 brought a whole new level of attention for the sport to the city and the country.

Hungary won eight medals at those World Championships in 2017, off the backs of Katinka Hosszu’s two golds in the 200m and 400m IM. 17-year-old Kristof Milak had a huge breakthrough in silver in the 100m butterfly that year, while seasoned veterans David Verraszto and Laszlo Cseh each won silvers in their respective events to give the “old guy’s still got it” generation a kick.

The team also won its first ever relay medal at a Worlds or Olympics since 1998 with the likes of 17-year-old rising star Nandor Nemeth and 24-year-old Richard Bohus on the men’s 4x100m freestyle team.

It was a memorable meet for the fans, and it inspired a nation.

One of those fans that was in attendance at those Championships was Hubert Kos, then 14, who trained in the Duna Arena from 2018 up until he left to go to school in the United States in 2022.

Now 21, Kos is an Olympic champion, by virtue of his victory in the 200m backstroke from this summer’s Games in Paris, one of three for the Hungarian team in swimming. The Hungarians have won a gold medal in swimming at every Olympics since 2008.

Having that world class facility helped boost the national team.

“What you do with (the facility) is what really counts,” Kos said. “I feel like the fact we had World Championships in 2017 brought a lot of motivation to all the swimmers, every age group. Even the little kids wanted to do well in swimming because there was this huge event coming up.

“Coming off of that experience fueled me to want to get into that position so the next time that happens, I’m competing for medals. I succeeded in that and I feel like Nandi (Nemeth) and these guys still talk about that experience (in 2017).

“To have something like that and share that experience as a country really boosted the sport I feel like. That was seven years ago. We are seeing the effects of it now and I like to think it played a huge part in my career.”

Paris 2024 was the first time since Atlanta 1996 that Hungary had three individual gold medalists in the same Games, celebrating Milak, Kos, and 10km open water champion Kristof Rasovszky.

The Center of World Swimming

After the 2017 Worlds, the Duna Arena was downsized to 5,000 spectators, and played host to a number of major competitions, including the 2018 World Cup, 2019 World Juniors, 2020 Europeans, and the 2022 World Championships.

With the World Short Course Championships coming to Budapest next week, the anticipation over what the crowd will bring is rising again.

Many that were in the venue remember where they were when Kristof Milak broke the 200m butterfly world record in front of the raucous Hungarian crowd two years ago.

The traffic headed to the pool that night was heavier than usual, and it was rumoured that that night of finals tickets sold out faster than any other night when tickets went on sale. When Milak walked out, the sound was deafening, and afterwards, he sat on the side of the pool for an extended period of time to soak up the crowd’s love.

When Italian Gregorio Paltrinieri pushed the world record pace for 1400 meters in 2022, it was as if a Hungarian was in the field, it was so loud. On the penultimate night of the 2022 championships, the Hungarian women’s water polo team faced off against the Americans in the gold medal match in what felt like a World Cup soccer match.

Every time Budapest has hosted a big meet, the people have shown out.

“For us as a nation, swimming has always been one of our most successful sports,” Kos said. “The people expect something magical to happen from swimming as it always has done. As a kid, I remember hearing all these names. From the pool where I trained, that’s where Tamas Darnyi became an Olympic champion. To hear these stories as a kid, it created a culture where people love swimming because we are really good at it. I feel like we are carrying on that tradition that has been in place for centuries.”

In 2017, Hosszu was the star of the show. In 2022, it was Milak. And in 2024, with the World Short Course Championships coming to town, Hubert Kos is expected to be that guy.

“I live for moments like that,” Kos told World Aquatics. “I live for the fans - it’s what it is all about. It’s always been a dream of mine to do well in front of the home crowd. I have been to countless meets in Hungary, so to have an opportunity now to have the crowd expect something of me, it’s almost a blessing in disguise. It comes with expectations and I know that, but it’s easier for me to not feel the pressure from that because I’m in Austin and I’m not mixed into the madness of it.”

Home on the range

Since 2022, Kos has been living and training in the United States with coach Bob Bowman. Kos was a member of the first ever national title team for Arizona State University in 2024, alongside future Olympic medalists Leon Marchand and Ilya Kharun. A few days after winning the title, Bowman took the job at the University of Texas after the retirement of longtime head coach Eddie Reese and Kos followed suit and moved to Austin in the spring.

The University of Texas has long been one of the biggest brands in NCAA swimming, with names like Joseph Schooling, Aaron Peirsol, and Rick Carey having worn the burnt orange and white in their pursuits of Olympic gold.

“It just means more here,” Kos said of Austin. “It feels like there’s a lot more expectation to do well. At ASU, we were this ‘dream story’ come true to compete for a title two years in a row, and to have won the second year. It really was a dream. I feel that Bob did an excellent job over the nine years he was there to create a team basically from nothing and build it into a championship team.

“Going from there to Texas, it’s ‘oh you have won a national championship? We have 15.’ You get back into work and try to bring it home this year. It’s a different culture and vibe but it expects more of you and that’s how you become a better swimmer.”

This season, Texas has plenty of talent in the water training in Austin. Kos is in his junior season on a team that includes Olympic medalist Luke Hobson and Olympic finalist Aaron Shackell. The training group includes Marchand, who also made the move from Arizona State to Texas, along with Olympic medalist Carson Foster and World Short Course champion Shaine Casas.

There’s a lot of talent on the pool deck, but Bowman keeps everyone in check.

“We all know what his expectations are of us…and I feel that every swimmer under Bob doesn’t get too big for their boots,” Kos said. “Even Leon, he was swimming world records and coming back into practice and doing it all over again. That’s the key. (Bob) does a very good job of that. He doesn’t let us sit back and relax or become lackadaisical. He keeps us focused and on the path. That’s what is the secret behind it.

“He doesn’t tolerate people being late or skipping. He doesn’t tolerate people not trying in the set. You can be an Olympic champion or a walk-on, it’s going to be the same for everybody.

“Everybody is chasing a goal and Bob is the one who knows how to get us there and make sure we do everything in our power to get on the right track and be on the winning path.”

The Grand Budapest Arena

Kos will be back home for the World Short Course Championships as one of the stars of the show for the Hungarians.

It’s been a long semester in Austin, but having the World Short Course Championships as the goal at the end of the year has been what has kept Kos invested.

“The hardest part for me is being away from home for so long,” Kos said. “It’s not just after the Olympics, it’s the whole two and a half years that I’ve been here so far. I think having Short Course Worlds at home and being 20 minutes from my house is going to be a huge boost for me. I’m getting some time off there as well during December to stay at home and be with the family for Christmas and that will give me that extra little boost that I’ve been missing and I am really looking forward to it.”

Kos is entered in the 50m and 100m backstroke, as well as the 100m butterfly, along with his pet event, the 200m backstroke on the last day of competition.

Kos has been dreaming of having a moment like Hosszu had in 2017, and Milak in 2022, where the Duna Arena roars as he walks out behind the blocks.

“My excitement is even greater than that because I was there in 2017 and remember what it was like. I, still to this day, believe that was the greatest swimming competition anyone has ever held.

“I have been to a lot of swimming competitions over my career, not just as a swimmer but as a spectator. I experienced a little taste of it in 2022, but things didn’t go my way at that competition. Since then, I have become a force to be reckoned with in the backstroke and it’ll be great to have a good meet where I have a chance to do something great for these fans.”

“At the Olympics, I was shutting out the crowd and focusing on my own race. I tend to get distracted by things like that, but it’s different when it is your home crowd and home audience that is cheering for you.”