TheUltimate Championship, akaWorld Athletics Ultimate Championship, is an upcoming international biennialtrack and field sporting event to be held byWorld Athletics.[1] The first edition will be held from 11 to 13 September from 2026.[2]
The inaugural edition of the three evening event will have a prize fund of US$ 10 million, with winners receivingUS$ 150,000, by far the largest prize money in the sport, and will be held inBudapest, Hungary.[1][2]
World pole vault record-holderMondo Duplantis was announced as the inaugural Ultimate Star. Duplantis mentioned he was set to showcase the sport like never before and felt excited to be a part of the championship.[3]
Jamaican sprint superstarUsain Bolt, eight-time Olympic gold medalist and the world record holder in the100 metres,200 metres and4 × 100 metres relay, has been announced as the ‘Ultimate Legend’, as to collaborate with World Athletics in the promotion of the new global season-ending championship in Budapest.[4]
TheUltimate Championship was devised by World Athletics to ensure that the sport had a global championships for elite athletes towards the end of every track year. Unlike the primaryWorld Athletics Championships orOlympic Games, but similar to theDiamond League final, the event consists only of direct semi finals and finals. Events will feature 8 athletes for field events, 16 athletes for individual track events and 8 teams for relays, with invitations decided by the world rankings, augmented by World and Olympic champions.[1][2]
On 22 November 2024, the list of events was announced by World Athletics. It included a new mixed4 × 100 metres relay, not before contested at a global championship level.[5]
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| Edition | Year | City | Country | Date | Venue | No. of Events | No. of Countries | No. of Athletes | Top of the medal table |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2026 | Budapest |  Hungary | 11-13 September | National Athletics Centre | tbd | future event | ||
The following are eligible for automatic qualification to the2026 World Athletics Ultimate Championship.
| Event | 2024 Olympic Champion | 2025 World Champion | 2026 Diamond League Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100m | Noah Lyles United States | Oblique Seville Jamaica | |
| 200m | Letsile Tebogo Botswana | Noah Lyles United States | |
| 400m | Quincy Hall United States | Collen Kebinatshipi Botswana | |
| 800m | Emmanuel Wanyonyi Kenya | Emmanuel Wanyonyi Kenya | |
| 1500m | Cole Hocker United States | Isaac Nader Portugal | |
| 5000m | Jakob Ingebrigtsen Norway | Cole Hocker United States | |
| 110m hurdles | Grant Holloway United States | Cordell Tinch United States | |
| 400m hurdles | Rai Benjamin United States | Rai Benjamin United States | |
| Pole vault | Armand Duplantis Sweden | Armand Duplantis Sweden | |
| High jump | Hamish Kerr New Zealand | Hamish Kerr New Zealand | |
| Long jump | Miltiadis Tentoglou Greece | Mattia Furlani Italy | |
| Hammer | Ethan Katzberg Canada | Ethan Katzberg Canada | |
| Javelin | Arshad Nadeem Pakistan | Keshorn Walcott Trinidad and Tobago |
| Event | 2024 Olympic Champion | 2025 World Champion | 2026 Diamond League Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100m | Julien Alfred Saint Lucia | Melissa Jefferson-Wooden United States | |
| 200m | Gabby Thomas United States | Melissa Jefferson-Wooden United States | |
| 400m | Marileidy Paulino Dominican Republic | Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone United States | |
| 800m | Keely Hodgkinson Great Britain | Lilian Odira Kenya | |
| 1500m | Faith Kipyegon Kenya | Faith Kipyegon Kenya | |
| 5000m | Beatrice Chebet Kenya | Beatrice Chebet Kenya | |
| 100m hurdles | Masai Russell United States | Ditaji Kambundji Switzerland | |
| 400m hurdles | Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone United States | Femke Bol Netherlands | |
| Pole vault | Nina Kennedy Australia | Katie Moon United States | |
| High jump | Yaroslava Mahuchikh Ukraine | Nicola Olyslagers Australia | |
| Long jump | Tara Davis-Woodhall United States | Tara Davis-Woodhall United States | |
| Triple jump | Thea LaFond Dominica | Leyanis Pérez Cuba | |
| Javelin | Haruka Kitaguchi Japan | Juleisy Angulo Ecuador |
| Event | 2024 Olympic Champion | 2025 World Champion | 2026 World Athletics Relays |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mixed 4x400m relay | Eugene Omalla,Lieke Klaver,Isaya Klein Ikkink,Femke Bol,Cathelijn Peeters Netherlands | Bryce Deadmon,Lynna Irby-Jackson,Jenoah McKiver,Alexis Holmes United States | |
| Mixed 4x100m relay | Not Contested | Not Contested |
World Championships organised byWorld Athletics | |
|---|---|
| Outdoor | |
| Indoor | |
| Continental Cup* | |
| U20 | |
| U18 | |
| Cross Country | |
| Race Walking | |
| Women's Road Race | |
| Marathon | |
| Half Marathon | |
| Road Relay | |
| Relays | |
| Ultimate | |
| Road Running | |
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