It seemed fitting that USA, the world champions and world record-holders, won the mixed 4x400m at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26.
Although they had been beaten to the Olympic title in 2024, the USA have generally dominated the event in recent years. The sprints powerhouse had won the world titles in 2023 and 2025, they were victorious at this year&rsquo;s World Relays, and have set four world records in the discipline.
Returning to the scene of their 2023 world title, the US quartet won in 3:08.32, taking almost half a second off the Hungarian all-comers&rsquo; record they had set three years ago.
Chris Bailey got the team off to a strong start with a 44.73 lead leg before handing over to Alexis Holmes. She maintained their lead, but Lieke Klaver&rsquo;s 49.37 ensured the Netherlands were hot on their heels.
Jacory Patterson extended the USA&rsquo;s leading margin on the third leg before handing over to Aaliyah Butler.
Great Britain &amp; NI started to move into contention heading in the last leg. Charlotte Henrich closed in on the Netherlands and eventually caught Myrte van der Schoot with about 200 metres to go.
Butler, however, could not be caught, her 49.47 leg securing USA victory in 3:08.32. Great Britain took second place in 3:09.40, 0.17 ahead of the Dutch team.
Jamaica&rsquo;s Stacey Ann Williams (48.72) and Hungary&rsquo;s Attila Molnar (43.90) produced the fastest splits of the race, their teams finishing sixth and eighth respectively.
&ldquo;The atmosphere with this team was so good,&rdquo; said Holmes, who had anchored USA to victory at the 2023 World Championships in this same stadium. &ldquo;Whenever the USA puts a team together, they put together a group they trust, people with the character to go out there and make it happen, and that is what we had today.&rdquo;
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

World Athletics Ultimate Championship

Coverage of the mixed 4x400m at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26

USA asserts relay dominance with Ultimate mixed 4x400m victory in Budapest

A well-timed finished gave Djamel Sedjati the advantage in the men&rsquo;s 800m final at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26 as the Algerian won in 1:41.91.
The 27-year-old had finished in the top two in all of his 800m races before heading to the Hungarian capital; in two of those outings, he&rsquo;d got to the line first. In the other three, he had just run out of track and had to settle for the runner-up spot.
Tonight in Budapest, though, he executed his plan to perfection.
Canada&rsquo;s Marco Arop &ndash; who had won the world title in this stadium in 2023 &ndash; led from the early stages, passing through the first lap in 49.67 with world and Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi a stride or two behind.
Arop continued to hold the lead with 200 metres to go, but his momentum showed signs of stalling as the field entered the home straight.
Sedjati moved into the lead with about 25 metres to go and crossed the line in a Hungarian all-comers&rsquo; record of 1:41.91, winning his first global title after taking world silvers in 2022 and 2025, as well as Olympic bronze in 2024.
Arop held on for second in 1:42.28 and Wanyonyi took third in 1:42.44. In a high-quality race where the first seven athletes finished inside 1:43, USA&rsquo;s Brandon Miller placed fourth (1:42.54) and Francesco Pernici set an Italian record of 1:42.67 in fifth.
&ldquo;That was very tactical but also very fast, and I am really happy to have won this race today,&rdquo; said Sedjati. &ldquo;This is the first title for me so I'm incredibly happy and grateful to everyone who supported me.&rdquo;
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

Coverage of the men's 800m at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26

Sedjati scoops Ultimate title with 800m victory in Budapest

It&rsquo;s become exceptionally rare in the modern era to see a major 5000m final boil down to anything but a last-lap burn-up, but at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest on Sunday (13), Ethiopia&rsquo;s Likina Amebaw tore up that script in superb, scintillating fashion.
Soon after 3000m was reached in a steady 8:51.70, Amebaw launched an attack that carried her clear of the field, her 2:46 kilometre building a lead that grew to almost six seconds as she reached 4000m in 11:38.45.
With a lap to run, that lead was almost nine seconds, her compatriot Freweyni Hailu taking up the chase along with Jessica Hull of Australia, but by then it was too little, too late.
Amebaw hit the line in a Hungarian all-comers' record of 14:30.36, while Hull won the battle for second, setting a PB of 14:32.39, with Ethiopia&rsquo;s Fantaye Belayneh taking third in 14:32.62.
Amebaw, who&rsquo;s been based in Spain for several years, has missed out on several potential major championship appearances while in the process of obtaining Spanish citizenship, but has now reverted to run for Ethiopia. With a blazing last 3000m of 8:28.00, she earned the Ultimate trophy and the top prize of $150,000.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m very happy to become the ultimate champion,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I was thinking I do not have too much of a sprint, so I was thinking halfway through the race that I've got to push.&rdquo;
Hull was pleased with her performance, putting her ninth-place finish in the previous night&rsquo;s 1500m firmly behind her.
&ldquo;Me and my team wanted to give me the chance to run the 5000m but we didn't know how it was going to go,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I just trusted that the rail would open up, so I was trying to keep calm. I chatted to my teammate last week, who won the Diamond League final on the rail and I just repeated to myself: &lsquo;Trust! It's going to be open.&rsquo; That is one of the coolest experiences.&rdquo;
Cathal Dennehy for World Athletics

Coverage of the women's 5000m at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26

Amebaw dominates to clinch Ultimate 5000m crown in Budapest

Rumesh Pathirage capped a stunning breakthrough season to win the men&rsquo;s javelin at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26 on Sunday (13).
The Sri Lankan has been the dominant force in the discipline this year, winning 11 of his 12 competitions before heading to Budapest. Prior to winning the Diamond League Final, he had thrown a world-leading 92.62m in Rome and backed it up with a 92.07m victory in Zurich.
The pre-competition favourite got off to an inauspicious start in Budapest, though, opening with 75.89m. European champion Julian Weber impressed with his first throw, which landed comfortably beyond the 80-metre line and was measured at 84.09m.
The German&rsquo;s lead didn&rsquo;t last long, though, as two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada threw 86.18m in round two. Weber responded with 85.89m, an improvement on his first throw, but remained in second. Pathirage came to life in that round, too, throwing 85.69m.
The Sri Lankan improved again in the third round, sending his spear out to 87.11m to take the lead. Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem threw a season&rsquo;s best of 81.49m in that round, but it was only enough for fifth place, meaning he didn&rsquo;t qualify for the fourth and final round.
Pathirage was first to throw in the final round and his javelin soared out to 91.09m &ndash; the first 90-metre throw ever achieved in Hungary. Peters ended his series with 82.63m and Weber threw 78.75m, meaning Pathirage&rsquo;s victory was secured.
&ldquo;This was my one and only goal &ndash; to bring the trophy back to Sri Lanka,&rdquo; said Pathirage. &ldquo;I faced a lot of challenges today but I was still hoping to win and I'm proud I did it. I was never thinking about the prize money and I don't have any idea yet how I will spend it. Sri Lankan athletes have won two Olympic medals so far and my next goal is to bring the Olympic gold medal home.&rdquo;
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

Coverage of the men's javelin at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26

Pathirage delivers with Ultimate javelin victory in Budapest

The world record-holder became the Ultimate champion as Alison dos Santos won a sensational 400m hurdles clash at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26 on Sunday (13).
Clocking 45.98, the Brazilian 26-year-old achieved the third-fastest performance of all time after striding away from USA&rsquo;s world and Olympic champion Rai Benjamin on approach to the final barrier.
Benjamin secured his second Ultimate Championship runner-up spot, completing his 400m and 400m hurdles double by clocking 46.40 in only his third hurdles race of the season.
Norway&rsquo;s former world record-holder Karsten Warholm clinched third place in 46.78 ahead of Emil Agyekum in a German record of 47.10.
In a battle between the three fastest 400m hurdlers of all time, Dos Santos was up against Benjamin and Warholm and they were evenly matched as they cleared the first couple of barriers.
Dos Santos and Benjamin had edged ahead by the third hurdle and from there it was a two-way fight.
They were shoulder to shoulder, Benjamin in lane six and Dos Santos in lane seven, as they reached the home straight, and then Dos Santos proved his power. He was a stride ahead when he got to the final hurdle and that barrier caused him no trouble, the 2022 world champion only increasing his advantage in the closing stages to cross the finish line clear ahead of his US rival.
The performance capped an incredible 2026 campaign for Dos Santos, who broke the world record when he clocked 45.80 during the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Zurich.
Only that run and Warholm&rsquo;s former world record of 45.94 set at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021 are faster than the performance produced by Dos Santos to win the Ultimate crown.
&ldquo;I opened the (World Athletics) app and I saw a post on the main page saying I had something like a 95% chance of winning. I thought wow, that is pretty high, so I just wanted to go out there and run as fast as I could,&rdquo; said Dos Santos, who won the Diamond League title in Brussels eight days earlier. &ldquo;I knew there would be pressure.&nbsp;
&ldquo;When you are running on the Diamond League circuit, you are mostly concerned about your time &ndash; you think about running fast and staying focused on your lane but, at a championship, it is different. Running fast is important but winning is more important. I knew everybody would give their best and fight all the way to the line and I knew coming off the eighth hurdle into the final part of the race it was going to be a real battle.&rdquo;
It was a fourth race in three days for Benjamin, who contested the 400m semifinals on Friday, the 400m final and 400m hurdles semifinals on Saturday and then the 400m hurdles final on Sunday.
&ldquo;That was tough, but I had a lot of fun,&rdquo; said Benjamin. &ldquo;I just wanted to focus on winning today and I know Alison is in tough form right now and that he would be the one to go after. I had a good view of both him and Karsten &ndash; Karsten still ran fast, Alison ran super fast.&nbsp;
&ldquo;What we are doing is so important and so impressive that people sometimes take it for granted. Karsten led the way to the world record, Alison followed up on it, and this was an amazing performance from all three of us today.&rdquo;
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

The world record-holder became the Ultimate champion as Alison dos Santos won a sensational 400m hurdles clash at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26

Dos Santos wins epic 400m hurdles clash to become Ultimate champion in Budapest

After finishing just shy of the podium at the 2024 Olympics and one place short of the gold medal at the 2025 World Championships, Jasmine Jones landed the first major international title of her career by winning the 400m hurdles at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26.
Going into this competition, Jones had won just one 400m hurdles race this year &ndash; a 52.91 run at the Istvan Gyulai Memorial, hosted at this very same stadium.
Jones had given a glimpse of her potential in yesterday&rsquo;s semifinals, running a season&rsquo;s best of 52.77. Today she showed she had more to give.
Diamond League champion Anna Cockrell led for the first half of the race with world bronze medallist Emma Zapletalova and Jones giving chase. But as the stagger finally unwound coming into the home straight, Jones carried the best momentum and edged into the lead.
Cockrell&rsquo;s pace started to fade, allowing European champion Zapletalova to move into second. But Jones could not be caught, and she went on to win in a season&rsquo;s best of 52.45.
Zapletalova held on to second place in 52.68 &ndash; her seventh sub-53-second run of the year. Cockrell finished third in 53.09, just 0.02 ahead of former world record-holder Dalilah Muhammad, who was contesting the final race of her career.
&ldquo;This is wild and I didn't see that coming,&rdquo; said Jones. &ldquo;Coming off Dalilah's last race, she inspired me so much growing up as a 400m hurdler. Having Dalilah and Emma, who has had such a breakout season, alongside me and competing with them in this brand new championship was so much fun.&rdquo;
Muhammad, meanwhile, reflected on her glittering career within moments of crossing the line.
&ldquo;It never really hits you until you finish your career and see what you have accomplished,&rdquo; said the 2016 Olympic and 2019 world champion. &ldquo;I had a really blessed career and I'm really grateful for it.&rdquo;
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

Coverage of the women's 400m hurdles at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26

Jones times peak to perfection with Ultimate 400m hurdles title in Budapest

If there&rsquo;s a key to success in the 100m, it&rsquo;s the ability to stay relaxed while moving at top-end speed, and USA&rsquo;s Kenny Bednarek did that to perfection as he claimed the men&rsquo;s 100m title in 9.85 (-0.6m/s) at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest on Saturday (12).
He was followed by world champion Oblique Seville of Jamaica (9.90) with USA&rsquo;s Ronnie Baker third in 9.93, edging Nigeria&rsquo;s Kayinsola Akayi (9.93) into fourth by four thousandths of a second. Christian Coleman took fifth in 9.94.
&ldquo;This one was for the history books,&rdquo; said Bednarek, who was watched trackside by Usain Bolt and Noah Lyles. &ldquo;Everything is a little bit more exciting than at the World Championships but also this event brought a bit more pressure on me as there is a lot on the line.&rdquo;
Seville had settled into his blocks as the slight favourite after cruising to victory in his semi-final in 9.90 (-0.2m/s), with Bednarek taking victory in the other semi-final in 9.94 (-0.7m/s).
Seville got the better start in the final, overhauling early leader Coleman midway through the race, but just as he did Bednarek appeared on his left, the US sprinter&rsquo;s 200m strength paying dividends over the latter half.
Seville&rsquo;s technique began to falter as he approached the line, striving for its arrival, but Bednarek was composure personified, raising his arm and running almost as fast around the bend as the celebrations began.
Bednarek has won his share of silver medals at global level over the years, finishing second in two Olympic finals and two world finals over 200m but now, at last, he is an individual global champion. And he has the chance to double up in Sunday&rsquo;s 200m.
&ldquo;I will get my sleep in and go back to work tomorrow,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I want to win a double title and make people happy.&rdquo;
Seville said he &ldquo;wanted to run faster but Kenny got the best out of this race&rdquo; and he congratulated the champion. &ldquo;It has been a long season and I am tired at this point,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;I will take time off now and I know what I've got to improve for next year. I want to keep the world champion title next year.&rdquo;
Baker was pleased with his third-place finish. &ldquo;I had a really good showing today,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It has been a while since I have been on a big world stage in a final and I missed that. I love this format and I know we are keeping a lot of people on their toes. It is fun, it is fast and it is entertaining.&rdquo;
Cathal Dennehy for World Athletics

Coverage of the men's 100m at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26

Bednarek bags first global title with Ultimate 100m victory in Budapest

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden stormed to the joint seventh-fastest 100m of all time &ndash; 10.62 (-0.2m/s) &ndash; to win an epic clash with Julien Alfred at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26 on Saturday (12).
Jefferson-Wooden, who won 100m, 200m and 4x100m titles at last year&rsquo;s World Championships, added the inaugural Ultimate crown to her honours, holding off Olympic champion Alfred and the fast-finishing 2023 world champion Sha'Carri Richardson.
Alfred secured the runner-up spot in 10.74, while Richardson was third in 10.76 on her return to the stadium in which she won her world title three years ago.
Prior to the new championship, Jefferson-Wooden had described running 10.61 at the World Championships in Tokyo as her &ldquo;ultimate performance&rdquo;. The US 25-year-old was just one hundredth of a second off that mark &ndash; a mark that places her fourth on the world all-time list &ndash; in Budapest as she ran the fastest time in the world this year.
Jefferson-Wooden and Alfred lined up side by side in the blocks &ndash; Saint Lucia&rsquo;s Alfred in lane five, Jefferson-Wooden in lane four and Jamaica&rsquo;s world silver medallist Tina Clayton next to her in lane three.
Clayton, fresh off her first Diamond League title win in Brussels, started fast but so did Jefferson-Wooden.
The US sprint star edged ahead and then Alfred passed Clayton, too. USA&rsquo;s Richardson, next to Alfred in lane six, was also in hot pursuit and she moved into third place, pipping Jamaica&rsquo;s Jonielle Smith and Clayton who both clocked 10.94 and were separated by one thousandth of a second.
Jefferson-Wooden has now broken 10.70 a total of four times and she owns three of the five&nbsp;fastest performances of the year.&nbsp;
The semifinals earlier in the evening provided a taste of what was to come. Alfred and Jefferson-Wooden both won their races in 10.73 &ndash; Alfred easing as she reached the finish line well clear and Jefferson-Wooden holding off Richardson, who was 0.02 behind. Those performances by Alfred and Jefferson-Wooden were separated by just two thousandths of a second, Alfred leading the first round by the narrowest of margins.
"This feels amazing. I crossed the line with a smile on my face because only I know all the things I have done to get to this moment," said&nbsp;Jefferson-Wooden. "When I got into the blocks today, I just told myself that this is my moment."
She will return to the track for the 200m on Sunday. "If I could win the double, it would just add to who I actually am," she said. "I am down to do things that haven't been done before, I am down for innovation and for challenging myself. Coming here, running four races in two days, it's something I haven't ever done before. I feel it is just a testament to what I am inspired to do."
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden stormed to the joint seventh-fastest 100m of all time – 10.62 (-0.2m/s) – to win an epic clash with Julien Alfred at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26

Jefferson-Wooden wins Ultimate 100m clash against Alfred in Budapest

When Miltiadis Tentoglou was beaten to the Diamond League title in Brussels last week, he vowed to end the season on a high at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26. The Greek long jumper delivered on that promise, taking the title with 8.35m.
As was the case in Rome and Zurich earlier this year, the margins were tight. Tentoglou opened with 8.16m to take an early lead, then improved to 8.35m in the second round.
European indoor champion Bozhidar Saraboyukov, meanwhile, opened with 8.09m and world indoor heptathlon champion Simon Ehammer went out to 8.07m in round two.
Tentoglou produced another solid jump, 8.27m, in round three, while Saraboyukov improved to 8.17m that same round. Tajay Gayle, who beat Tentoglou to the Diamond League title in Brussels last week, jumped a best of 7.90m in round three but it was only enough for fifth place as the Jamaican missed out on taking a fourth and final attempt.
Tentoglou ended with another strong effort but it was ruled a foul. Saraboyukov then produced his best mark of the night and for a brief moment it seemed as though he may have usurped his Greek rival, but it was eventually measured at 8.34m, consolidating his runner-up placing.
This is the latest &ndash; and fitting &ndash; addition to Tentoglou&rsquo;s impressive collection of honours, alongside his two Olympic titles, 2023 world gold, two world indoor titles, four European titles and three European indoor crowns.
"I always say that jumping far is more important to me than winning, but tonight I was happy to add another global title to my collection," said Tentoglou. "I was hoping to jump farther tonight, but I'm happy that I still had my best season ever; I had so many jumps over 8.40m and 8.50m, and I improved my PB to 8.66m."
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

Coverage of the men's long jump at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26

Tentoglou completes long jump set with Ultimate long jump win

The three-way rivalry may have been one of the dominant talking points of the 2026 season, but the outcome has essentially been the same in every race. Audrey Werro once again underlined that she is the world&rsquo;s best 800m runner with her victory at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26.
Hodgkinson had started the year as the best in the discipline, setting a world indoor record of 1:54.87 and then winning the world indoor title in a championship record of 1:55.30.
But outdoors was a different story. Starting with the Diamond League meeting in Rabat, Werro put together a string of 800m victories, routinely finishing ahead of Hodgkinson and recent 800m convert Femke Broeders-Bol, the two-time world 400m hurdles champion.
Werro&rsquo;s sub-1:54 wins in Stockholm, Paris and Zurich has prompted plenty of world record speculation. And rightly so &ndash; the Swiss athlete&rsquo;s best of 1:53.70 is just 0.42 shy of the long-standing mark, and she now owns three of the five fastest times in history.
The race in Budapest, though, was less about records and more about finding the ultimate champion. While Werro started as the pre-race favourite, Broeders-Bol had been closing in on the world leader in their recent clashes. Hodgkinson, meanwhile, was the last athlete to beat Werro.
Werro dictated the pace and led through the first lap in 57.83 with Broeders-Bol close behind and Hodgkinson a stride adrift.
The leading trio bunched up with 200 metres to go, but Werro had saved an extra gear, kicking ahead into the home straight. Hodgkinson, who had skipped the Diamond League Final as a precautionary measure, managed to pass Broeders-Bol in the closing stages.
But neither challenger could catch Werro, who strode through the line in 1:55.88. Hodgkinson finished second in 1:56.26 and Broeders-Bol placed third in 1:56.74, reflecting the same 1-2-3 from the European Championships.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m so happy with the race,&rdquo; said Werro. &ldquo;I think I have won every race I&rsquo;ve had this year during the outdoor season. It is really crazy but, at the same time, it is something I have worked for and now I am getting the result.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m actually quite proud with how this race turned out,&rdquo; said Hodgkinson. &ldquo;I wanted to win and it ended up pretty close. These are some amazing women, and we all push each other.&rdquo;
Broeders-Bol was also happy with her race, and her year as a whole. &ldquo;My season is done and now I can say that I really love this event,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve loved all of this year even more than I expected. This third place means a lot.&rdquo;
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

Coverage of the women's 800m at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26

Werro wins Ultimate 800m clash against Hodgkinson and Broeders-Bol

It might have been a long wait, but at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest on Saturday (12), USA&rsquo;s Sandi Morris finally claimed her first global outdoor title.
The 34-year-old soared over 4.90m to take victory on countback ahead of compatriot Hana Moll, while Switzerland&rsquo;s Angelica Moser was third with 4.85m.
The eight-athlete field was whittled to five after the bar ascended to 4.80m, where Morris needed a third attempt, the veteran coming up with a clutch clearance.
That meant she joined Moll and Moser along with New Zealand duo Imogen Ayris and Eliza McCartney in the hunt for the Ultimate trophy. Aware of how much room she had to spare at 4.80m, and her fifth-place position at the time, Morris then chose to pass at 4.85m, believing she could clear 4.90m.
&ldquo;I decided to risk it for the biscuit,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;All I needed to do was that same jump at 4.90m so I waited, gathered my energy and I knew I had the height. I was like, &lsquo;forget 4.85m, that&rsquo;s not going to win, so I&rsquo;m going to jump 4.90m.&rsquo; I had to battle really hard for that title.&rdquo;
Moll and Moser both cleared 4.85m at the first attempt, with McCartney and Ayris unable to do so, and Morris, Moll and Moser all failed their first attempts at 4.90m.
Morris soon stepped up for her second attempt, the lights flashing around the stadium in unison with the crowd&rsquo;s clapping. And then she duly delivered, moving into the lead.
Moser failed twice more but Moll, the 21-year-old who looks increasingly like the future of this event, soared over at the third attempt, the height just 1cm below the PB she&rsquo;d cleared to win the Diamond League title last week.
However, she was still behind on countback and then recorded three failures at 4.95m, with Morris twice failing at 4.95m and once at 5.00m.
Morris has won two world indoor titles, an Olympic silver and four world outdoor silvers, but this was her first global outdoor title.
This competition marked just the second time in history that two women had cleared 4.90m in an outdoor competition. The first time was at the 2019 World Championships, where Morris had taken silver.
Moll was a fan of the new event. &ldquo;It is a lot less taxing not to have to do a preliminary round before the final,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I think that is one of the reasons why we saw so many high bars because everyone was fresh and ready.&rdquo;
Moser was content with her showing. &ldquo;It was a very long season and I'm pretty tired but I'm really happy that I could finish it with a good result,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;After the European Championships, I struggled to recover because we had meet after meet, so I never really had the chance to rest. Now I am just looking forward to recovering and taking some time off.&rdquo;
Cathal Dennehy for World Athletics

Coverage of the women's pole vault at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26

Morris soars to Ultimate pole vault title in Budapest

A week after her surprise victory at the Diamond League Final, Klaudia Kazimierska showed her Brussels triumph was no fluke as the Pole won the women&rsquo;s 1500m at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26.
European indoor champion Agathe Guillemot controlled the pace from the outset, leading the field through 800m in 2:11.31. Kazimierska, who clocked a world-leading Polish record of 3:54.05 in Brussels last week, positioned herself right behind Guillemot with US duo Emily Mackay and Nikki Hiltz also close by. World indoor champion Georgia Hunter Bell, meanwhile, kept a close eye on developments at the front from the middle of the pack.
With 3:00.08 on the clock as the bell sounded for the last lap, Guillemot held the lead but the field behind her had bunched up as they prepared to make their final attack. Kazimierka finally into the lead with just over 200 metres to go, but Hunter Bell tracked her move.
The Briton drew level with Kazimierska with 100 metres to go, but the Pole managed to find an extra gear in the closing stages and went on to cross the line in 3:57.55.
Hunter Bell placed second in 3:57.72 and Hiltz was third (3:58.16), just ahead of Ethiopia&rsquo;s Freweyni Hailu (3:58.44).
The outcome marked the culmination of a gradual progression for Kazimierska over the past 12 months, having finished seventh at the World Championships last year, sixth at the World Indoor Championships earlier this year, second at the European Championships and first at the Diamond League Final.
&ldquo;It was a completely new position for me to be the favourite in a race like that,&rdquo; said Kazimierska. &ldquo;After winning the Diamond League Final in Brussels last week, I felt a bit of pressure. I really enjoyed winning that race and I was hoping to do that again tonight.
&ldquo;The last 100m fighting against Georgia was thrilling but I prepared myself well over the season and I've gained lots of experience. I&rsquo;ve raced Georgia a few times this year and I had a plan for this race &ndash; finally it played out exactly as I planned. This year I also was building up mentally; I had a few races where I learned a lot &ndash; it was like mentally unlocking something in my head.&rdquo;
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

A week after her surprise victory at the Diamond League Final, Klaudia Kazimierska showed her Brussels triumph was no fluke

Jefferson-Wooden dashes to 21.47 Ultimate 200m victory in Budapest

Bednarek completes Ultimate sprint double with 200m win in Budapest

Tamberi puts on a show to win Ultimate high jump in Budapest

Sarr soars to Ultimate triple jump title in Budapest

Kerr kicks to Ultimate 1500m crown in Budapest