The World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26 (© Getty Images)
The inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship concluded in Budapest on Sunday (13) after three days of high-quality competition, sold-out sessions and a positive response from athletes, fans and media both inside the Gyula Zsivotzky National Athletics Centre and around the world.
Bringing together many of the world’s leading athletes in a compact, high-stakes championship format, the Ultimate Championship delivered a series of memorable head-to-head contests as 28 Ultimate champions were crowned.
The championship was also conceived as a platform for innovation, trialling new competition formats, technology, event presentation and ways for athletes to engage with fans. Early feedback from spectators, athletes and broadcasters has been highly encouraging.
All three sessions were sold out, 61,671 spectators attending across the three evenings of action.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said the response to the Ultimate Championship had demonstrated the potential of the concept.
“It has always been my mantra that athletes must be front and centre – this inaugural edition of the Ultimate Championship captured that unequivocally,” said Coe.
“This new global championship provided the platform, and our stars rose to the occasion, showcasing not only their athletics prowess as the best battled the best, but also their personalities, on and off the field of play.
“The response we have received across key stakeholders has been positive and all feedback will help to make this event even bigger and better in future. We must also repeat our thanks to Budapest and the Hungarian government for their support. I am very grateful that the government and municipal authorities have stepped up and delivered an incredible event which was watched by full crowds and audiences across the globe.”
The best against the best
A total of 352 athletes from 65 member federations participated in the Ultimate Championship, with Olympic champions, world champions, Wanda Diamond League champions, world record-holders and the season’s leading performers going head-to-head.
Athletes from 18 countries became Ultimate champions: Algeria, Botswana, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Germany, Great Britain & N.I., Greece, Italy, Japan, Norway, Poland, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine and United States.
Among the standout moments were Melissa Jefferson-Wooden winning the women’s sprint double with world-leading marks of 10.62 and 21.47, Kenny Bednarek completing the double in the men’s 100m and 200m, Mondo Duplantis scaling 6.20m to win the men’s pole vault, Collen Kebinatshipi producing the fifth-fastest performance in history to win the men’s 400m in 43.39, world record-holder Masai Russell completing an undefeated season in the 100m hurdles with 12.22, and Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigtsen winning the men’s 1500m and 5000m respectively.
In total, 15 Hungarian all-comers’ records were set – a notable feat for a country that hosted a recent edition of the World Championships – and four world-leading marks were recorded.
Every athlete competing in Budapest went home with a share of the US$10million prize pot, with individual champions earning US$150,000.
Full stands and strong global TV and digital audiences
The new championship was met with strong demand in Budapest, with all three competition sessions reaching capacity. The event also reached audiences around the world through 48 rights-holding broadcasters representing more than 170 countries.
Interest in the Ultimate Championship was also reflected across World Athletics’ digital platforms. In just three evening sessions, more than half a million fans visited the World Athletics website, while the new World Athletics app generated huge enthusiasm as a second-screen companion to the live TV broadcast – combining modern short-form video and story-led content with gamification to create a more interactive and engaging way to experience athletics.
Over the course of the championship, the Ultimate as a subject got 1.8 billion impressions on social media. Across the Ultimate Championship and World Athletics social channels, Ultimate content generated around 400 million impressions (including video views).
Global media coverage
The inaugural championship attracted 337 members of accredited media. Across the event period, 14,600 articles and reports about the Ultimate Championship were published by media around the world, generating a potential reach of 29.3 billion.
The media programme began prior to competition with The Day Before, a new concept that replaced the traditional athlete press conference with a broader programme of athlete and media engagement, which was well received by athletes and media alike. Around 220 media members across all categories attended the red carpet and media opportunities, offering fans an early glimpse of the athletes ahead of competition. International news agencies were among those who attended, with photographers averaging 2000 images each on that day alone.
Innovation tested on and off the field
The Ultimate Championship was designed not only as a new competition but as an opportunity to test ideas that could help shape the future presentation of athletics.
Innovations included the athlete-led 200m lane draft, the reimagined field of play and event presentation, enhanced broadcast and data presentation, and interactive fan predictions and games through the World Athletics app.
The event marked the world premiere of Sony’s virtual finish line concept, creating a completely new way to experience just how close – and extraordinary – elite athletics performances can be. The innovation triggered huge enthusiasm from fans and broadcasters.
World Athletics will review data and feedback from athletes, fans, broadcasters and other stakeholders to determine which concepts can be developed for future editions of the Ultimate Championship and potentially applied elsewhere in the sport.
Athletes at the heart of Ultimate
Athlete involvement extended beyond competition itself.
The Day Before brought close to 200 athletes and ambassadors together for a red carpet, dedicated media and content sessions, the aforementioned 200m lane draft and a Kids’ Athletics Ultimate Challenge.
The event’s Ultimate Stars also played active roles in shaping the championship, putting athletes at the centre of the competition beyond their performances on the field of play. Mondo Duplantis wrote and recorded the official anthem, Noah Lyles was Ultimate MC and creative adviser, and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Letsile Tebogo were team captains for the Kids’ Athletics Ultimate Challenge.
The success of the inaugural edition gives World Athletics a strong platform from which to develop the Ultimate Championship in the years ahead.
World Athletics
