WORLD ATHLETICS ULTIMATE CHAMPS: all you need to know

The Ultimate Championship is where the world’s top-ranked track and field athletes compete head-to-head to decide who is truly the best on the planet.

Only the world’s very best athletes win the right to compete.

Proudly representing their countries and competing for the largest prize pot in track and field, athletes will have one goal in mind – to be the Ultimate Champion.

The inaugural Ultimate Championship will take place from 11-13 September at the Zsivotzky Gyula Nemzeti Atlétikai Központ in Budapest, with World Athletics capitalising on the hosting of one of the best-ever World Athletics Championships by returning to Hungary three years on.

<<<<<<<<<<< SCHEDULE AND RESULTS >>>>>>>>>>>> 

DAY 3, 13 September

6:08 PM - Women's 400 Metres Hurdles - Final
6:13 PM - Men's Javelin Throw - Final
6:18 PM - Men's 200 Metres - Semi-Final
6:36 PM - Men's 400 Metres Hurdles - Final
6:44 PM - Women's 200 Metres - Semi-Final
7:04 PM - Men's High Jump - Final
7:10 PM - Women's 5000 Metres - Final
7:34 PM - Women's Triple Jump - Final
7:41 PM - Men's 800 Metres - Final
7:53 PM - Mixed 4x400 Metres Relay - Final
8:12 PM - Men's 1500 Metres - Final
8:38 PM - Men's 200 Metres - Final
8:49 PM - Women's 200 Metres - Final

DAY 2, 12 September

Women's 400 Metres - Final
1. Marileidy Paulino - 49.07
2. Henriette Jæger - 49.28   
3. Nickisha Pryce - 49.56
Women's Javelin Throw - Final
1. Haruka Kitaguchi - 68.92
2. Ziyi Yan - 68.05
3. Flor Denis Ruiz Hurtado - 64.84
Men's 400 Metres - Final
1. Busang Collen Kebinatshipi (Botswana) - 43.39
2. Rai Benjamin - 44.15
3. Jereem Richards - 44.23
7. Lee Eppie (Botswana) - 44.66
Women's Pole Vault - Final
1. Sandi Morris - 4.90
2. Hana Moll - 4.90
3. Angelica Moser - 4.85
Women's 800 Metres - Final
1. Audrey Werro - 1:55.88
2. Keely Hodgkinson - 1:56.26
3. Femke Broeders-Bol - 1:56.74
8. Nigist Getachew (Ethiopia) - 1:59.50
Women's 100 Metres - Final
1. Melissa Jefferson-Wooden - 10.62
2. Julien Alfred - 10.74
3. Sha'Carri Richardson - 10.76
Men's 100 Metres – Final
1. Kenneth Bednarek - 9.85
2. Oblique Seville - 9.90
3. Ronnie Baker - 9.93
4. Kayinsola Ajayi (Nigeria) - 9.93
6. Gift Leotlela (SA) - 9.98
7. Letsile Tebogo (Botswana) - 10.07
8. Akani Simbine (SA) - 10.09

DAY 1, 11 September - Results

Mixed 4x100 Metres Relay – Final
1. United States - 39.64
2. Jamaica - 39.72
3. Great Britain & NI - 40.26
Women's High Jump - Final
1. Yaroslava Mahuchikh - 1.99
2. Nicola Olyslagers - 1.95
3. Eleanor Patterson - 1.91
Men's Hammer Throw - Final
1. Merlin Hummel - 81.46
2. Bence Halász - 80.30
3. Mykhaylo Kokhan - 78.90
Men's Pole Vault - Final
1. Armand Duplantis - 6.20
2. Emmanouil Karalis - 6.15
3. Sondre Guttormsen - 5.95
Men's 5000 Metres - Final
1. Jakob Ingebrigtsen - 12:59.24
2. Cole Hocker - 13:00.05
3. Parker Wolfe - 13:00.13
4. Biniam Mehary (Ethiopia) - 13:00.24
10. Jacob Krop (Kenya) - 13:06.62
11. Cornelius Kemboi (Kenya) - 13:07.68
Women's Long Jump - Final
1. Larissa Iapichino - 6.90
2. Jazmin Sawyers - 6.78
3. Alyssa Jones - 6.77
8. Marthe Koala (Burundi) - 6.21
Women's 100 Metres Hurdles - Final
1. Masai Russell - 12.22
2. Tobi Amusan (Nigeria) - 12.34
3. Nadine Visser - 12.39
Men's 110 Metres Hurdles – Final
1. Ja'Kobe Tharp - 12.94
2. Cordell Tinch - 12.95
3. Bradley Franklin - 13.01

HOW TO QUALIFY

26 Olympic champions from Paris 2024

26 World champions from the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25

25 Diamond League winners from the 2026 season

Plus the best performers of 2026 based on the World Rankings qualification system

The championship features 381 athletes from 65 countries, including Olympic champions, world champions and Diamond League winners, making it arguably the strongest athletics field assembled in 2026.

STARS TO WATCH

Mondo Duplantis (Sweden) – the world and Olympic pole vault champion, who raised his own world record to 6.31m this year.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Norway) – one of the biggest names in middle-distance running, competing in the men's 1500m.

Josh Kerr (Great Britain), Cole Hocker (USA) and Isaac Nader (Portugal) – all part of a stacked men's 1500m field.

Letsile Tebogo (Botswana) – Olympic champion and one of the favourites in the sprints.

Keely Hodgkinson (Great Britain) – Olympic champion and a leading contender in the women's 800m.

Gabby Thomas (USA) – Olympic sprint champion.

Marileidy Paulino (Dominican Republic) – one of the world's top 400m runners.

Yaroslava Mahuchikh (Ukraine) – Olympic champion and women's high jump world record holder.

Rai Benjamin (USA) – Olympic champion in the 400m hurdles.

Alison dos Santos (Brazil) – holder of the men's 400m hurdles world record after running 45.80 this season.

Emmanuel Wanyonyi (Kenya) – Olympic champion and one of the stars of the men's 800m.

Oblique Seville (Jamaica) – world champion and among the favourites for the men's 100m.

SOUTH AFRICA'S FIELD

Akani Simbine (100m)

Gift Leotlela (100m)

Sinesipho Dambile (200m)

Zakithi Nene (400m)

COMPETITION FORMAT

On the track, the two semifinals 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 1500m, 5000m and relay races will be straight finals.

All field events will be straight finals. The horizontal jumps and throws will feature four rounds, with each of the eight athletes guaranteed two attempts. After the second round, the top six will get another attempt, followed by the top four in the final round, who will have one final attempt. Therefore, the format will be 8-8-6-4.