A star-studded line-up of athletes will take to the pool at Budapest’s Duna Arena from December 10-15 competing for more medals to end the year on a high at the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m)
Fresh from her triumph on the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup series, Kate Douglass (USA) will be among the athletes roared on by the always-passionate crowd in Budapest.
Douglass twice broke the short course women’s 200m breaststroke on the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup, where 11 gold medals helped her to clinch the overall crown and have left her primed for more success at the World Aquatics Championships (25m). She is the defending champion from Melbourne 2022 in the 200m medley and was also part of victories in the 4x50m freestyle, 4x100m medley and 4x50m mixed medley relays two years ago. Douglass was a gold medallist in the 200m breaststroke and 4x100m medley relay at Paris 2024, where she won silvers in the 200m medley and 4x100m freestyle too.
Building on the peak condition swimmers achieved in the summer, many others are heading to Budapest in blistering form. Noe Ponti (SUI) twice broke the short course men’s 50m butterfly world record on the Swimming World Cup, a feat Regan Smith (USA) accomplished in the women’s 100m backstroke as well as beating the 200m backstroke world record in short course.
Qin Haiyang (CHN) arrives in Budapest fresh from a stellar performance at the Swimming World Cup, where he secured four gold medals. Although he narrowly missed out on an overall podium finish, he will undoubtedly be looking to make a strong impact in Hungary.
Meanwhile, Siobhan Haughey (HKG), who claimed third place overall at the 2024 Swimming World Cup with an impressive haul of nine medals—more than half of them gold—enters Budapest in peak form.
🥇 🥈 🥉 Introducing the medals for the World Aquatics #Swimming Championships 2024! The Chain Bridge, a symbol of Budapest, connects Buda and Pest—just as it connects the winners on the podium. 🏅 #Budapest2024
— World Aquatics (@WorldAquatics) November 15, 2024
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This year has seen some of the sport’s rising stars come of age, and they will be targeting more success in Budapest. Summer McIntosh (CAN) took gold medals in the 200m butterfly and 200m and 400m medley at Paris 2024, and is returning to the city where she won her first long course world titles back in 2022.
The World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) is also a place where new stars are born, so the stage is set for surprises too.