Global stars back in Budapest for Gyulai Memorial

Global champions and world record-holders will return to Budapest for the Gyulai István Memorial as the Hungarian capital prepares to host what looks set to be one of the strongest ever editions of the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting on Tuesday (14).

Mondo Duplantis is back at the scene of one of his world record-breaking pole vault performances from last year, while Julien Alfred, Masai Russell, Nina Kennedy, Miltiádis Tentóglou and Ja'Kobe Tharp will want to maintain their mighty current form when they compete at the event also known as the Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix.

The final Gold level meeting on this year’s Continental Tour calendar takes place at the National Athletics Centre – not only the venue for the 2023 World Athletics Championships but also where the best of the best will clash during the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in September. Duplantis, Alfred, Russell, Kennedy and Tentóglou are among the global champions to have already qualified for the Ultimate Championship, Duplantis taking his involvement a step further through his role as one of the event’s Ultimate Stars.

Swedish pole vault superstar Duplantis set his 13th world record when clearing 6.29m during last year’s Gyulai Memorial as he returned to the stadium in which he won the second of his now three world titles. Since then, he has improved his world record to 6.31m in Uppsala in March and he most recently jumped 6.07m to win at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Monaco on Friday.

Emmanouil Karalis was a strong challenger to Duplantis in Budapest last year as he cleared 6.02m to finish second, while Kurtis Marschall was third. They all clash again, this time with Karalis as the second-best pole vaulter in history thanks to his 6.17m clearance in Athens in February and with Marschall as the most recent person to have beaten Duplantis as he won the Diamond League in Stockholm last month.

The strong field also features three other athletes to have cleared six metres – Sondre Guttormsen, Sam Kendricks and Ernest John Obiena.

Kennedy and Tentóglou also continue their campaigns four days on from impressing in Monaco.

Australia’s Olympic champion Kennedy headlines the women’s pole vault after adding one centimetre to the Oceanian record held by New Zealand’s Eliza McCartney when she cleared 4.95m at the Meeting International d’Athlétisme Herculis EBS. They both form part of the field in Budapest, where Kennedy won her world title, and are joined by Imogen Ayris and Tina Šutej.

Greece’s two-time Olympic champion Tentoglou soared 8.61m – just four centimetres off his PB – to win a long jump competition of record depth in Monaco. He again faces Jamaica’s Wayne Pinnock, who was second in Monaco on 8.39m, and Tajay Gayle.

The top six throwers in the world this year collide in the men’s hammer. Two-time world and Olympic champion Ethan Katzberg, the world leader on 83.33m, takes on Yann Chaussinand, who threw a French record of 82.44m last month, as well as Mykhaylo Kokhan, Paweł Fajdek, Merlin Hummel and home favourite Bence Halász, the multiple global medallist who got world bronze in Budapest in 2023.

The world leader also stars in the shot put as Italy’s Leonardo Fabbri, the world silver medallist in Budapest, faces Tom Walsh and Rajindra Campbell. Australia’s 2022 world gold medallist Eleanor Patterson and 2025 world champion Nicola Olyslagers got high jump silver and bronze, respectively, at the World Championships in Budapest and they go head-to-head again at the National Athletics Centre, while the women’s long jump features Monae' Nichols and Ackelia Smith.

Alfred, Russell and Tharp take to the track

Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred stormed to third on the world 200m all-time list when she ran 21.51 in Monaco on Friday and in Budapest she will race the 100m, the event for which she is the Olympic champion. In another strong field, she will face five-time Olympic gold medallist Elaine Thompson-Herah and world silver medallist Tina Clayton

USA’s Olympic 200m champion Gabby Thomas finished third behind Alfred in Monaco, clocking 21.84 after her 21.70 run in Texas. She heads the field for the half-lap event in Budapest, joined by Anavia Battle and Kayla White.

USA’s Olympic champion Masai Russell is unbeaten in the 100m hurdles this year and she now owns four of the top seven performances in history thanks to her 12.20 to win in Monaco. Her 12.14 in Xiamen was just 0.02 off the world record and she will want to threaten the mark again when she returns to Budapest to race the likes of Alaysha Johnson, Cyréna Samba-Mayela, Nadine Visser and Hungarian record-holder Luca Kozák.

The world record-holder goes up against the world champion in the 110m hurdles as Ja'Kobe Tharp and Cordell Tinch clash again. The field has five athletes who have gone sub-13 seconds – Tharp, who ran 12.75 in Eugene last month, and Tinch joined by Trey Cunningham, Jamal Britt and Rasheed Broadbell, the latter set to make his season debut. 

Akani Simbine, Ackeem Blake and Emmanuel Eseme race the 100m, while the 200m features Makanakaishe Charamba, who ran 19.88 last month in Texas. Olympic bronze medallist Muzala Samukonga and Zakithi Nene go in a 400m starring home favourite Attila Molnár.

Two-time world bronze medallist Rushell Clayton, Matheus Lima and Abderrahman Samba are in 400m hurdles action, while Olympic and world medallist Djamel Sedjati makes his 800m season debut after running 2:13.94 to finish third in the Monaco 1000m won by Emmanuel Wanyonyi in a world record.

Olympic 800m silver medallist Tsige Duguma steps up to race the 1500m again against Abbey Caldwell, who she beat to the runner-up spot at the Diamond League in Shanghai. Narve Gilje Nordås returns to the track on which he raced to world 1500m bronze and takes on Phanuel Koech, while Mathew Kipchumba Kipsang defends his 3000m title.