Sports
Budapest Hosts First-Ever World Athletics Ultimate Championship With $10 Million in Prize Money
By Today News Hours Editorial Desk
The first World Athletics Ultimate Championship began this weekend in Budapest, bringing together Olympic and world champions to compete for a record $10 million prize pool. The three-day event, running from September 11 to 13, features 26 Olympic gold medalists from the Paris Games, 26 world champions from last year's Tokyo World Championships, and the season's top-ranked athletes.
The invite-only competition is based on a qualification system that includes Olympic and World Championship winners, Diamond League champions, and athletes ranked highest in the 2026 World Rankings. World Athletics designed the event to take place between World Championship years, filling out the competitive calendar during Olympic seasons. The meet will now be held every two years.
Jamaican sprinting great Usain Bolt, serving as an event ambassador, praised the initiative at a news conference on Thursday. "It's great to see track and field going in a different direction," said the eight-time Olympic gold medalist. "It's going to be great to see the best of the best. I've always lived to compete against the best and I would thrive in this moment."
The prize structure marks a significant increase over previous events. Event winners will receive $150,000 each — more than double the $70,000 awarded at the 2023 World Championships in Tokyo and triple the amount given to Olympic champions in Paris. Second-place finishers earn $75,000, third place receives $40,000, with payouts continuing down to $2,000 for 16th place. Relay teams will divide $80,000 for first place, $40,000 for second, and $24,000 for third.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe noted that beyond the financial reward, becoming Ultimate Champion carries significant prestige within the sport.
Several format changes distinguish this competition from traditional championships. There are no medals; instead, winners receive custom trophies as part of what World Athletics calls a reimagining of its awards system. All events proceed directly to semifinals or finals, skipping preliminary heats. In the 200m, athletes select their semifinal heat and lane based on seeding. Ties in vertical jump events will be broken through jump-offs rather than shared titles, and throwing events will allow four attempts instead of the standard six, following an 8:8:6:4 format. The mixed 4x100m relay, which debuted at the World Relays earlier this year, will also feature, with teams competing in national uniforms.
The event has drawn criticism from some athletes over event exclusions. Shot put, triple jump, women's hammer throw, discus throw, the 3,000m steeplechase, and the 10,000m are not part of the program. World Athletics attributed these omissions to viewership considerations and a focus on faster-paced events.
Olympic discus champion Matthew Denny and two-time triple jump world champion Pedro Pichardo publicly criticized the decision. Denny, currently ranked second in the world, argued that the prize money "can change a career and a life" and urged World Athletics to reconsider based on its own viewership data. "Innovation should not come at the expense of opportunity," he said.
Several athletes are considered strong contenders to break world records during the competition based on their 2025 performances. Sweden's Armand "Mondo" Duplantis, who has broken the pole vault world record 15 times, most recently in March, headlines the watch list. In the men's 800m, Kenya's Emanuel Wanyonyi has repeatedly approached compatriot David Rudisha's 1:40.91 mark set at the 2012 London Olympics. Switzerland's Audrey Werro, who ran 1:53.70 in Zurich in August — the third-fastest time ever — could challenge Jarmila Kratochvilova's 1983 record of 1:53.28 in the women's 800m. Brazil's Alison dos Santos recently broke the 400m hurdles world record in Zurich, five years after Norway's Karsten Warholm ran 45.94 at the Tokyo Olympics. American Masai Russell also impressed in Zurich, clocking 12.09 in the 100m hurdles to extend her win streak to 12 this season.