Budapest (AFP) – Armand 'Mondo' Duplantis is the headline act as the world's top-ranked track and field athletes gather for this weekend's inaugural Ultimate Championship in Budapest, where they will compete for unmatched prize money totalling $10 million.
Issued on: 10/09/2026 - 03:50
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From Friday, some 381 athletes from 65 federations will gather for three nights of competition at the Zsivotzky Gyula Nemzeti Atletikai Kozpont stadium that hosted the world championships in 2023.Automatic qualifiers for the season-ending Ultimate event include 26 Olympic champions from the 2024 Paris Games, 26 world champions from Tokyo last year and 25 Diamond League winners from the 2026 season, along with the best performers of the year based on the world rankings qualification system.There are no quotas for countries, with inclusion based solely on performance."We have created the Ultimate to ensure every athletics season culminates with a major global championship – one with real meaning for the athletes, fans, media and broadcasters," said World Athletics president Sebastian Coe, with 2026 having neither a world championships nor an Olympic Games."Our North Star is to maximise our global broadcast audience and so it is unapologetically made for TV to engage broadcasters in a new way to help further elevate national heroes."On the track, the two semi-finals in the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 100m hurdles/110m hurdles and 400m hurdles will feature eight athletes, and the top four in each will make it through to the final. The 1,500m, 5,000m and relay races will be straight finals.All field events will be straight finals, although there is no place for shot put, discus or women's hammer throw.The horizontal jumps, with the men's triple jump a notable absence, and throws will feature four rounds, with each of the eight athletes guaranteed two attempts.Everyone's a winner
