South Africa’s leading athletes will be chasing medals and a share of the biggest prize pot in athletics history when the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship gets under way in Budapest this weekend.
The three-day showpiece from Friday to Sunday will offer a staggering $10m (about R159.4m) in prize money, with each individual champion guaranteed $150 000 (about R2.39m).
That is 2.5 times the $60 000 (about R956 000) maximum available to an individual winner at the Diamond League Final, while the entire 2026 Diamond League season carries a $9.24m (about R147.2m) prize pool.
For the South African athletes who have qualified for the meet, it provides an extraordinary opportunity to put the finishing touches to a memorable season.
Sinesipho Dambile heads into the new championship as the country’s leading medal hope after taking silver in the Diamond League Final in Brussels on Saturday.
