The strongest young artistic swimmers from across the planet are set to go head-to-head in the battle for honours in Hungary’s capital during five days of competition at the World Aquatics Junior Artistic Swimming Championships.
Budapest 2026, which will take place from 12-16 August at the iconic Duna Arena. It will feature nearly 300 athletes aged 15-19 as of 31 December this year, with athletes heralding from more than 35 nations.
They will seek success across 11 disciplines, with Women’s and Men’s Solo Technical Finals, together with the Open Team Technical Final, the major highlights on the opening day of competition.
Among a host of those in action who will be looking to add further junior honours to the senior successes they have already attained during their young careers will be Italian Filippo Pelati (ITA).
The 19-year-old claimed two bronze medals at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, across the Men’s Solo Free and Mixed Duet Technical contests.
He has followed those performances up with a series of impressive performances during the World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup, as well as four senior European honours – three silvers and one bronze – in Paris just over a week ago.
“I’m very happy to be here, it’s my last World Junior Championships, so I want to do my best,” Pelati told World Aquatics.
“I’ve changed my routines since Paris (2026 European Championships), but I feel I can swim comfortably and with concentration.”
The two-time World Junior bronze medallist, who will contest both Men’s Solo events, as well as the Open Acrobatic Team discipline, continued; “My target is simply to swim great and give all I have for this last competition.”
Palati’s main opponent in the individual events is likely to be Zakhar Trofimov (RUS), who topped the podium ahead of the Italian, as well as Eneko Sanchez (ESP) at the European Junior Artistic Swimming Championships in Germany, across late June and early July.
Chen Xiuping (CHN) and Chen Keyu (CHN) are two other strong emerging talents to watch from the nation who showcased the talents of Xu Huiyan (CHN) at the last edition of the World Junior Artistic Championships, before she went on to become a senior World champion the following year.
On the women’s side Ekaterina Shtatnova (RUS) and Aleksandra Zavialova (RUS) are likely to be two of Russia’s leading individual contenders, with the athletes lining up in the respective Solo Free and Solo Technical events, which they won at the European Juniors.
The nation topped the podium in each of the disciplines at Munich 2026 and are expected to challenge for multiple major honours now in Hungary.
Kristina Chekhanova (RUS) and Anastasiia Sidorina (RUS) arrive full of confidence, having completed a Women’s Technical and Free double in Germany.
They will also be joined by silver medallists Naia Alvarez Vicente (ESP) and Daniela Suarez Fernandez (ESP), as well as third-place finishers Anastasiya Dabravolskaya (BLR) and Aliaksandra Mironchyk (BLR).
China’s formidable teenage talents – Zhou Kunyi (CHN) and He Zhien (CHN) – as well as Ukraine's sister pairing ofMariia and Uliana Hrynishyna, are also ones-to-watch.
Artistic Swimming World Cup medal-winners Gabriele Minak (ITA) and Ginevra Marchetti (ITA) are an exciting Mixed Duet pair who will be looking to push for the podium, although Zakhar Trofimov (RUS) and Alina Rumiantseva (RUS) will likely start as favourites.
You can follow all of the action from Budapest 2026 via World Aquatics’ YouTube Channel, by following THIS LINK.