The awarding of this prestigious contract marks the 13th time a local organizing committee has selected Mondo for the World Athletics Championships since the first edition in 1983. Since 2011, Mondo tracks have been used in six editions of the last seven World Athletics Championships.

Construction of the Budapest stadium began in December 2020 with the demolition of the former industrial park on which the centre is located. This was followed by 20 months of construction work on the stadium and work on the athletics track began at the end of October 2022, with the preparation of the subfloors.

Balázs Németh, CEO of the Budapest 23 LOC, and London 2017 bronze medallist athlete Balazs Baji unroll the Mondotrack WS surface of the Budapest National Athletics Centre athletics track. Photo David Balogh/WCH Budapest23 LOC.

The first roll of the Mondo track was rolled out by Balázs Baji, bronze medallist in the 110 metres hurdles at the 2017 World Athletics Championships. In total, 14,000 square metres of Mondotrack WS™ were supplied to the National Athletics Centre, amounting to an average of more than 700 rolls of material (each roll contains around 20 metres of track); the installation took more than 2,400 man-hours.

The athletics track installed in the Hungarian capital is made of the same prefabricated Mondotrack WSâ„¢ surface used for the athletics events at the last two Olympic Games in Rio and Tokyo.

The track, with a surface designed to provide high-level performance, will also be a legacy that the Budapest community will be able to enjoy for decades.

The technical features

Designed with the aim of taking human speed to unprecedented levels, Mondotrack WSâ„¢ is the most technologically advanced athletics track in the world.

Mondotrack WSâ„¢ is prefabricated in a controlled environment that is unaffected by environmental conditions and human error. Its top layer comprises only virgin materials, providing the highest level of consistency and control over the biomechanics of the surface; it is made of solid vulcanised rubber and is free of coatings and partially encapsulated microplastic granules that can leach out over time, possibly contaminating water bodies and compromising grip and athletic performance.

Based on Mondo’s legendary Air Cell technology, Mondotrack WSâ„¢ offers athletes a uniform dynamic response, ensuring efficient shock absorption, energy storage and immediate kinetic response.

The 2-Phase Vulcanizationâ„¢ process incorporates a three-dimensional network of pre-cured granules of controlled composition and elasticity into the surface layer of Mondotrack WSâ„¢. This significantly increases the elastic response of the surface and ensures uniform dynamic response across the entire track. This minimises the need for posture adjustment during running and results in reduced fatigue. In addition, by providing greater control over stride length and movement, it allows the athlete to achieve peak performance with ease.

The upper layer features a patented texture, Non Directional Tessellationâ„¢, which provides 20% extra surface drainage and greater grip in wet conditions. It also improves slip resistance and traction, to the point where, even in wet conditions, the cleats on the athletes’ shoes do not have to penetrate the surface of the track to find the correct grip.

The Mondotrack WSâ„¢ backing features patented Elongated Honeycomb technology. The bottom layer consists of an elongated hexagonal geometric structure, deformable in three dimensions, which provides a perfect combination of cushioning, storage and energy return, reducing the amount of time the running athlete uses to perform the foot rolling movement. When the athlete’s foot impacts the surface, the air-filled cells compress, absorbing impact force and vibration and converting the maximum amount of kinetic energy into stored energy.

As soon as the foot leaves the surface, the compressed air causes the cells to return to their original shape, propelling the athlete up and forward. 

At the same time, the lateral deformation of the cells facilitates the rotational movement of the foot from the 5th metatarsal to the 1st metatarsal, providing optimal and continuous support for the movement of the foot and reducing the lateral movement of the lower leg. 

In this way, impact forces and vibrations are minimised, movement efficiency is improved and energy return is maximised, resulting in objective improvements in athletic performance.

Manufactured with up to 10% natural rubber and up to 38% contaminant-free recycled materials, Mondotrack WSâ„¢ meets the most stringent certification criteria for the emission of volatile organic compounds, perfectly in line with the World Athletics Air Quality project.

(News by Mondo Spa).