On the track, eight women will be crowned champions at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest in September, from the sprint queens in the 100m to the distance specialists over 5000m.&nbsp;
In the second instalment of a four-part series, we look at the track tussles looming at this season&rsquo;s athletics climax.
<h3>100m hurdles</h3>
Unpredictability. It&rsquo;s what makes sport so special and few events are harder to predict than the sprint hurdles. Ditaji Kambundji wasn&rsquo;t many people&rsquo;s pick to win the world title last September and, after clocking a massive personal best, her shocked face as she crossed the finish line suggested she hadn&rsquo;t expected it either.
The Swiss athlete&rsquo;s form was good indoors this year but, in an electric world indoor 60m hurdles final in March, she just missed out on a medal despite a season&rsquo;s best. There will also be no shortage of suitors aiming to upstage her in the 2026 outdoor season finale in Budapest.
If 2025 is anything to go by, the event should be rapid. Eight women ran 12.30 or faster last year and the athlete topping those times, Masai Russell, will be keen to translate her 12.17 into a podium place after missing out in Tokyo. The US athlete has started the season well by winning at the Diamond League meeting in Shanghai in 12.25.
So many have shone already this year with four athletes &ndash; Kambundji, Devynne Charlton, Pia Skrzyszowska and Nadine Visser &ndash; all separated by a mere hundredth of a second going into the 60m hurdles at the World Indoor Championships in Poland, and then there was Charlton&rsquo;s world record there in the final.
<h3>800m</h3>
Prior to this season, Keely Hodgkinson had never won a world title indoors or out. The British athlete righted that wrong in Poland in March and just days before that she broke a 24-year-old world short track record aptly set on the very day she was born.
It has been an impressive return after the disappointment of bronze in Tokyo when she would likely have been a shoo-in for gold had she not been hampered by a double hamstring tear, the second just after a trip to Buckingham Palace.
Kenya&rsquo;s surprise world champion Lilian Odira will once again be aiming to challenge her, while Hodgkinson&rsquo;s training partner Georgia Hunter Bell, the silver medallist in Tokyo, is yet to decide whether to focus on the 800m or 1500m this season.
<h3>400m</h3>
The big question was whether USA&rsquo;s Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, a world gold medallist in two different individual disciplines, would stick to the 400m or revert to the 400m hurdles. It turns out neither. Instead, come Budapest, she will be in the early stages of motherhood after announcing her pregnancy at the start of the year.
Even without her, this field is stacked with potential champions, including Olympic gold medallist Marileidy Paulino, who was second to McLaughlin-Levrone in Tokyo.
US athlete Aaliyah Butler will surely aim to be in contention, too, along with Salwa Eid Naser and Amber Anning, who forewent the World Indoors to focus on the outdoor season. Then there&rsquo;s Natalia Bukowiecka who hoped to win gold at the World Indoors in front of her home crowd in Poland but was denied by just eight hundredths of a second by break-out star Lurdes Gloria Manuel.

World Athletics Ultimate Championship

Eight women are set be crowned inaugural Ultimate champions on the track. Ahead of the event in Budapest, we pick out some of the key battles for gold.

Ultimate clashes: women’s track

The World Athletics Ultimate Championship features three nights of finals showcasing the greatest athletes on the planet in their quest to be crowned the champion of champions.&nbsp;
In a new four-part series, we look at some of the key battles brewing ahead of the global gathering in Budapest on 11-13 September. First up, it&rsquo;s the men&rsquo;s track. 
<h3>100m</h3>
Competition will be fierce in the fight to become the sprint king in Budapest. As ever, there&rsquo;s no shortage of contenders for the US$150,000 top prize in an event that often brings the biggest pre-championship buzz.
Oblique Seville won world gold in Tokyo in 9.77 and, last year, was only bettered in pace terms by his Jamaican compatriot Kishane Thompson (9.75), who had to make do with the silver medal.
Third was USA&rsquo;s Noah Lyles, the Olympic champion whose early part to the season was hampered by injury. So far in 2026 that hasn&rsquo;t been the case, and, like Thompson, he tested himself over 60m indoors, the pair clocking bests of 6.46 and 6.51, respectively.
Further afield, excitement is building over the future of Australian Gout Gout, who only turned 18 at the end of last year and has already run 10 seconds flat this year. Talking of newcomers, the new world indoor champion Jordan Anthony will also be looking to transfer that speed outdoors. 
<h3>400m</h3>
Botswana&rsquo;s Collen Kebinatshipi is not a man lacking in confidence. After winning the world title in a thrilling final in Japan, he immediately shifted his sights to Wayde van Niekerk&rsquo;s world record of 43.03.
The 22-year-old would dearly love to shatter that with the world watching the September showcase. The double world champion &ndash; he also sealed gold in the 4x400m &ndash; still has half a second to claw back and he would also have some of the best one-lap runners in the world trying to hunt him down.
Breathing down his neck between now and the Ultimate Championship will be Trinidad and Tobago&rsquo;s Jereem Richards, who was two tenths of a second behind him in the world final, as well as his Botswana compatriot Bayapo Ndori, who came away with the bronze.&nbsp;
The US contingent has promised to hit back with a vengeance come the Budapest clash, while Britain&rsquo;s Matt Hudson-Smith and South African Zakithi Nene, the world&rsquo;s fastest man prior to Tokyo, should again be among the forces to be reckoned with. 
<h3>400m hurdles</h3>
We&rsquo;re in the golden age for the men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles. Fans will be eager to find out if world record-holder Karsten Warholm can bounce back to clinch the title. The rebuild is on early in 2026 for the Lego obsessive after the fastest man in the world last year could only finish fifth in the World Championships final.
And what a final it ended up being, with USA&rsquo;s Rai Benjamin winning gold in a season&rsquo;s best. But it was not without drama. Declared the winner, he was then disqualified before being reinstated moments later.
He and Warholm should be duelling again for yet another season but there are no shortage of suitors lining up to catch them along the banks the Danube, notably Brazilian Alison dos Santos, Abderrahman Samba of Qatar and Nigeria&rsquo;s Ezekiel Nathaniel.

A look at the key head to heads for men's track in the build-up to the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26

Ultimate clashes: men’s track

Ultimate Legend Usain Bolt urges fans to act quickly to secure their seats in Budapest 
An additional wave of tickets is now on sale for the first-ever World Athletics Ultimate Championship, taking place on 11-13 September in Hungary&rsquo;s capital of Budapest. Tickets can be purchased at <a href="https://ultimateathleticschampionship.com/tickets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ultimateathleticschampionship.com/tickets</a>.
Due to high demand, temporary seating will be added to the Gyula Zsivotzky National Athletics Centre, creating an additional 7000 seats per session and increasing total capacity to 21,000 fans per session. These new tickets will enable more fans to be a part of the spectacle in its inaugural edition, including through additional options designed to maximise affordability (from HUF 10,000/&euro;30*).&nbsp;
Usain Bolt, the Ultimate Legend for the global championship, encouraged fans to act quickly.
&ldquo;Tickets to the Ultimate Championship are likely to sell out in record time,&rdquo; Bolt said. &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t miss out on this new chance to be in that stadium as the world&rsquo;s best battle for the title of Ultimate champion!&rdquo;
*approximate ticket price conversion in euros

Ultimate Legend Usain Bolt urges fans to act quickly to secure their seats in Budapest

Additional Ultimate Championship tickets now on sale

Olympic champions, world champions, Diamond League winners battle to be crowned the Ultimate Champion

11-13 SEPTEMBER 2026

SPARKS WILL FLY

<h2 style="text-align: center; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">FOLLOW THE STAR JOURNEY TO BUDAPEST</h2>
<div style="padding: 56.25% 0 0 0; position: relative;"><iframe style="position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;" title="World Athletics Ultimate Championship" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/1177317469?autoplay=1&amp;muted=1&amp;badge=0&amp;autopause=0&amp;player_id=0&amp;app_id=58479&amp;loop=1" frameborder="0"></iframe></div>

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/sweden/armand-duplantis-14679502" target="_blank" rel="noopener">POLE VAULT &bull; SWE</a>

MONDO DUPLANTIS

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/tara-davis-woodhall-14596561" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LONG JUMP &bull; USA</a>

TARA DAVIS-WOODHALL

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/grant-holloway-14516985" target="_blank" rel="noopener">110M HURDLES &bull; USA</a>

GRANT HOLLOWAY

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/ukraine/yaroslava-mahuchikh-14739628" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HIGH JUMP &bull; UKR</a>

YAROSLAVA MAHUCHIKH

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/norway/jakob-ingebrigtsen-14653717" target="_blank" rel="noopener">5000M &bull; NOR</a>

JAKOB INGEBRIGTSEN

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/masai-russell-14659011" target="_blank" rel="noopener">100M HURDLES &bull; USA</a>

MASAI RUSSELL

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/canada/ethan-katzberg-14809348" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HAMMER THROW &bull; CAN</a>

ETHAN KATZBERG

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/saint-lucia/julien-alfred-14646562" target="_blank" rel="noopener">100M &bull; LCA</a>

JULIEN ALFRED

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/greece/miltiadis-tentoglou-14669734" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LONG JUMP &bull; GRE</a>

MILTIADIS TENTOGLOU

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/great-britain-ni/keely-hodgkinson-14642894" target="_blank" rel="noopener">800M &bull; GBR</a>

KEELY HODGKINSON

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/rai-benjamin-14574865" target="_blank" rel="noopener">400M HURDLES &bull; USA</a>

RAI BENJAMIN

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/australia/nina-kennedy-14407592" target="_blank" rel="noopener">POLE VAULT &bull; AUS</a>

NINA KENNEDY

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/noah-lyles-14536762" target="_blank" rel="noopener">100M &bull; USA</a>

NOAH LYLES

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/kenya/faith-kipyegon-14413305" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1500M &bull; KEN</a>

FAITH KIPYEGON

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/japan/haruka-kitaguchi-14649131" target="_blank" rel="noopener">JAVELIN THROW &bull; JPN</a>

HARUKA KITAGUCHI

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/commonwealth-of-dominica/thea-lafond-14416826" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TRIPLE JUMP &bull; DMA</a>

THEA LAFOND

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/new-zealand/hamish-kerr-14633982" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HIGH JUMP &bull; NZL</a>

HAMISH KERR

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/botswana/letsile-tebogo-14883897" target="_blank" rel="noopener">200M &bull; BOT</a>

LETSILE TEBOGO

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/dominican-republic/marileidy-paulino-14749613" target="_blank" rel="noopener">400M &bull; DOM</a>

MARILEIDY PAULINO

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/cole-hocker-14905834" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1500M &bull; USA</a>

COLE HOCKER

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/gabrielle-thomas-14733520" target="_blank" rel="noopener">200M &bull; USA</a>

GABRIELLE THOMAS

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/kenya/emmanuel-wanyonyi-14974928" target="_blank" rel="noopener">800M &bull; KEN</a>

EMMANUEL WANYONYI

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/kenya/beatrice-chebet-14749924" target="_blank" rel="noopener">5000M &bull; KEN</a>

BEATRICE CHEBET

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/pakistan/arshad-nadeem-14698105" target="_blank" rel="noopener">JAVELIN THROW &bull; PAK</a>

ARSHAD NADEEM

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/quincy-hall-14597236" target="_blank" rel="noopener">400M &bull; USA</a>

QUINCY HALL

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/sydney-mclaughlin-levrone-14624749" target="_blank" rel="noopener">400M HURDLES &bull; USA</a>

SYDNEY MCLAUGHLIN-LEVRONE

Qualified by winning in Paris

Olympic champions

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/kenya/lilian-odira-14758184" target="_blank" rel="noopener">800M &bull; KEN</a>

LILIAN ODIRA

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/italy/mattia-furlani-14905216" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LONG JUMP &bull; ITA</a>

MATTIA FURLANI

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/switzerland/ditaji-kambundji-14739461" target="_blank" rel="noopener">100M HURDLES &bull; SUI</a>

DITAJI KAMBUNDJI

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/noah-lyles-14536762" target="_blank" rel="noopener">200M &bull; USA</a>

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/botswana/busang-collen-kebinatshipi-14935809" target="_blank" rel="noopener">400M &bull; BOT</a>

COLLEN KEBINATSHIPI

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/australia/nicola-olyslagers-14455361" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HIGH JUMP &bull; AUS</a>

NICOLA OLYSLAGERS

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/jamaica/oblique-seville-14737998" target="_blank" rel="noopener">100M &bull; JAM</a>

OBLIQUE SEVILLE

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/melissa-jefferson-wooden-14756997" target="_blank" rel="noopener">100M &amp; 200M &bull; USA</a>

MELISSA JEFFERSON-WOODEN

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/cole-hocker-14905834" target="_blank" rel="noopener">5000M &bull; USA</a>

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/katie-moon-14373744" target="_blank" rel="noopener">POLE VAULT &bull; USA</a>

KATIE MOON

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/portugal/isaac-nader-14756630" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1500M &bull; POR</a>

ISAAC NADER

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/netherlands/femke-bol-14707010" target="_blank" rel="noopener">400M HURDLES &bull; NED</a>

FEMKE BOL

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/cordell-tinch-14719972" target="_blank" rel="noopener">110M HURDLES &bull; USA</a>

CORDELL TINCH

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/cuba/leyanis-perez-hernandez-14828679" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TRIPLE JUMP &bull; CUB</a>

LEYANIS PEREZ HERNANDEZ

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/trinidad-and-tobago/keshorn-walcott-14376122" target="_blank" rel="noopener">JAVELIN THROW &bull; TTO</a>

KESHORN WALCOTT

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/ecuador/juleisy-angulo-14718123" target="_blank" rel="noopener">JAVELIN THROW &bull; ECU</a>

JULEISY ANGULO

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/sydney-mclaughlin-levrone-14624749" target="_blank" rel="noopener">400M &bull; USA</a>

Qualified by winning in Tokyo

World champions

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

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World Athletics Ultimate Championship – debuting 11-13 September 2026 in Budapest – register now for info

World Athletics Ultimate Championship 2026

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