World Athletics Ultimate Championship
Facts and figures for the men's disciplines on day three of the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26.
Javelin
Last three sets of World Athletics Championships medallists
2025: 1 Keshorn Walcott (TTO) 88.16m, 2 Anderson Peters (GRN) 87.38m, 3 Curtis Thompson (USA) 86.67m
2023: 1 Neeraj Chopra (IND) 88.17m, 2 Arshad Nadeem (PAK) 87.82m, 3 Jakub Vadlejch (CZE) 86.67m
2022: 1 Anderson Peters (GRN) 90.54m, 2 Neeraj Chopra (IND) 88.13m, 3 Jakub Vadlejch (CZE) 88.09m
Last two sets of Olympic medallists
2024: 1 Arshad Nadeem (PAK) 92.97m, 2 Neeraj Chopra (IND) 89.45m, 3 Anderson Peters (GRN) 88.54m
2021: 1 Neeraj Chopra (IND) 87.58m, 2 Jakub Vadlejch (CZE) 86.67m, 3 Vitezslav Vesely (CZE) 85.44m
(*bold denotes competing)
World leaders by year
2026 - 92.62m Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage (SRI)
2025 - 91.51m Julian Weber (GER)
2024 - 92.97m Arshad Nadeem (PAK)
2023 - 89.51m Jakub Vadlejch (CZE)
2022 - 93.07m Anderson Peters (GRN)
2021 - 96.29m Johannes Vetter (GER)
Best mark on Hungarian soil
89.72m - Steve Backley (GBR) 23.08.1998 - Budapest (European Champs)
Additional notes
- Eight of the top-10 throwers on the world rankings feature on the entry-list. Only #6 Neeraj Chopra and #8 Sachin Yadav, both from India, are missing
- The entry-list features reigning Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem, reigning world champion Keshorn Walcott, reigning Commonwealth champion Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, reigning European champion Julian Weber and reigning African champion Julius Yego
- Walcott won his second global title at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, 13 years after winning Olympic gold in London (Eliud Kipchoge also achieved the feat of global titles 13 years apart with world 5000m gold in 2003 and Olympic marathon gold in 2016).
- Chopra will miss Budapest and the Asian Games due to a ligament tear in his ankle. "After a period of hard work, I finally felt I was gaining the momentum I had been looking for with a Season's Best throw in Lausanne. Unfortunately, shortly after, I sustained a ligament tear in my ankle during training. After discussions with my doctor and team, we've decided that I will sit out the rest of this season," he said on Instagram
- Pathirage's first sport was cricket. As a fast bowler, he clocked 134kmph during a nationwide talent search in 2019 before transitioning to athletics
- Sri Lanka has never won a global title in athletics. Their country's last major medal was a bronze medal from Susanthika Jayasinghe in the 200m at the 2007 World Championships
- There has never been a 90 metre-plus throw on Hungarian soil but six of the top eight entrants have 90 metre-plus lifetime bests
400m hurdles
Last three sets of World Athletics Championships medallists
2025: 1 Rai Benjamin (USA) 46.52, 2 Alison dos Santos (BRA) 46.84, 3 Abderrahman Samba (QAT) 47.06
2023: 1 Karsten Warholm (NOR) 46.89, 2 Kyron McMaster (BVI) 47.34, 3 Rai Benjamin (USA) 47.56
2022: 1 Alison dos Santos (BRA) 46.29, 2 Rai Benjamin (USA) 46.89, 3 Trevor Bassitt (USA) 47.39
Last two sets of Olympic medallists
2024: 1 Rai Benjamin (USA) 46.46, 2 Karsten Warholm (NOR) 47.06, 3 Alison dos Santos (BRA) 47.26
2021: 1 Karsten Warholm (NOR) 45.94, 2 Rai Benjamin (USA) 46.17, 3 Alison dos Santos (BRA) 46.72
(*bold denotes competing)
World leaders by year
2026 - 45.80 Alison Dos Santos (BRA)
2025 - 46.28 Karsten Warholm (NOR)
2024 - 46.46 Rai Benjamin (USA)
2023 - 46.39 Rai Benjamin (USA)
2022 - 46.29 Alison Dos Santos (BRA)
2021 - 45.94 Karsten Warholm (NOR)
Best mark on Hungarian soil
46.89 - Karsten Warholm (NOR) 23.08.2023 - Budapest (World Champs)
Additional notes
- The final entries features all of the top 15 on the world rankings as well as reigning world and Olympic champion Rai Benjamin who has received a wildcard for Budapest in this event
- Benjamin on doubling up in the 400m and 400m hurdles in Budapest. "I am more than capable of running well in both the 400m and 400m hurdles. So, why not do it? Everyone is kind of skeptical if I can make the turnaround but I believe I can do it," he said.
- Between them, Benjamin, dos Santos and Warholm currently hold the 35 fastest times in history in the 400m hurdles (Warholm 14, Benjamin 11, dos Santos 10)
- Warholm on losing his world record to dos Santos: "If you want the sport to evolve, records are always going to be on borrowed time, but it’s a bit sad because it was part of me for five years."
- Dos Santos on breaking Warholm's world record with 45.80 in Zurich. "He’s a great guy and he led us, showed us that 45 (seconds) was possible. We just came along."
- Dos Santos on being the world record-holder: "I might be the world record-holder but I am still the same person. Running that fast doesn't change anything, and my resumé is not going to change who I am and how I am going to behave towards others."
- Benjamin after the semifinals: "I had a little joke with Alison (dos Santos, BRA). If we cleared hurdle 10 together then we would play rock-paper-scissors who was going to take the win - it was just a little inside joke between him and me."
- Warholm still has a winning head-to-head record on dos Santos (11-8 in finals) although the Norwegian hasn't beaten dos Santos since the 2024 Olympic Games when they won silver and bronze respectively behind Benjamin
High jump
Last three sets of World Athletics Championships medallists
2025: 1 Hamish Kerr (NZL) 2.36m, 2 Sang-Hyeok Woo (KOR) 2.34m, 3 Jan Štefela (CZE) 2.31m
2023: 1 Gianmarco Tamberi (ITA) 2.36m, 2 JuVaughn Harrison (USA) 2.36m, 3 Mutaz Essa Barshim (QAT) 2.33m
2022: 1 Mutaz Essa Barshim (QAT) 2.37m, 2 Woo Sang-Hyeok (KOR) 2.35m, 3 Andrii Protsenko (UKR) 2.33m
Last two sets of Olympic medallists
2024: 1 Hamish Kerr (NZL) 2.36m, 2 Shelby McEwen (USA) 2.36m, 3 Mutaz Essa Barshim (QAT) 2.34m
2021: 1 Mutaz Essa Barshim (QAT) 2.37m, 1 Gianmarco Tamberi (ITA) 2.37m, 3 Maksim Nedasekau (BLR) 2.37m
(*bold denotes competing)
World leaders by year
2026 - 2.34m Ju'Vaughn Harrison (USA)
2025 - 2.36m Hamish Kerr (NZL)
2024 - 2.37m Gianmarco Tamberi (ITA)
2023 - 2.38m Danil Lysenko (RUS)
2022 - 2.37m Mutaz Essa Barshim (QAT)
2021 - 2.37m Maksim Nedasekau (BLR), Ilya Ivanyuk (RUS), Gianmarco Tamberi (ITA), Mutaz Essa Barshim (QAT)
Best mark on Hungarian soil
2.43m - Javier Sotomayor (CUB) 04.03.1989 - Budapest (World Indoors)
Additional notes
- On his comeback from injury, Gianmarco Tamberi is targeting his third title in a space of a month having won European gold in Birmingham and the Mediterranean Games title on home soil in Taranto
- Tamberi won his fourth European title in Birmingham on the day of his daughter's first birthday. "This is my birthday present for her. This fourth title was 100% the toughest. I guess nobody would bet on me before the final. Only me, my wife and that is all. And that is all what matters," he said
- Tamberi completed the set of major titles in this stadium at the 2023 World Championships with victory on countback over Ju'Vaughn Harrison at 2.36m. After a costly failure at 2.25m, Tamberi cleared 2.36m on his first attempt to win the title
- Oleh Doroshchuk what the Ultimate Championship means to him. "It's so cool to be among the eight best high jumpers in the world. Here is everyone who, during this and previous years, has shown their best. This kind of Ultimate World Championship qualifying system motivates you to become the best at every single competition to get here - that's why I really like this idea," he said
- Jan Štefela won a surprise bronze at the 2025 World Championships but surprisingly exited in qualifying at the European Championships. “During this season, my head was the main factor that affected me at many competitions. It is a great experience, I learned a lot from it, maybe even more than when I achieved some medals in the past. Sometimes, you need to fall down and, as they say, it is best to rise up when you are on the bottom. And I want to be ready and better for the next year."
800m
Last three sets of World Athletics Championships medallists
2025: 1 Emmanuel Wanyonyi (KEN) 1:41.86, 2 Djamel Sedjati (ALG) 1:41.90, 3 Marco Arop (CAN) 1:41.95
2023: 1 Marco Arop (CAN) 1:44.24, 2 Emmanuel Wanyonyi (KEN) 1:44.53, 3Ben Pattison (GBR) 1:44.83
2022: 1 Emmanuel Korir (KEN) 1:43.71, 2 Djamel Sedjati (ALG) 1:44.14, 3 Marco Arop (CAN) 1:44.28
Last two sets of Olympic medallists
2024: 1 Emmanuel Wanyonyi (KEN) 1:41.19, 2 Marco Arop (CAN) 1:41.20, 3 Djamel Sedjati (ALG) 1:41.50
2021: 1 Emmanuel Korir (KEN) 1:45.06, 2 Ferguson Cheruiyot (KEN) 1:45.23, 3 Patryk Dobek (POL) 1:45.39
(*bold denotes competing)
World leaders by year
2026 - 1:41.76 Emmanuel Wanyonyi (KEN)
2025 - 1:41.44 Emmanuel Wanyonyi (KEN)
2024 - 1:41.11 Emmanuel Wanyonyi (KEN)
2023 - 1:42.80 Emmanuel Wanyonyi (KEN)
2022 - 1:43.26 Emmanuel Korir (KEN)
2021 - 1:42.91 Nijel Amos (BOT)
Best mark on Hungarian soil
1:42.96 - Laban Kipkorir Chepkwony (KEN) 12.08.2025 - Budapest
Additional notes
- The final entries includes six of the eight finalists from the 2025 World Championships (only 4. Cian McPhillips and 8. Tshepiso Masalela are missing) and nine of the top 10 athletes on the world rankings (only 4. world indoor champion Cooper Lutkenhaus is missing)
- Emmanuel Wanyonyi has a positive win-loss record against both Marco Arop (15-5) and Djamel Sedjati (13-3) in the 800m (finals only). Sedjati also has a winning record against Arop (8-6)
- Wanyonyi has overtaken world record-holder David Rudisha’s record of most career sub-1:42 clockings in 2026: Wanyonyi (9), Rudisha (7), Arop (5), Sedjati (5), Kipketer (4), Amos (2). Between them, Wanyonyi, Arop and Sedjati have run 19 of the 36 sub-1:42 times in 800m history
- Eliott Crestan is racing for the first time since the Belgian Championships where he ran a 45.87 PB in the 400m heats. Crestan missed the European Championships due to a thigh injury which he sustained in his last big training session prior to Birmingham
- Yanis Meziane was a late addition into the Diamond League final in Brussels where he finished third in a PB and 2026 European lead of 1:42.87. In doing so, Meziane sealed the last qualifying spot in the 800m for Budapest
- Mark English (became the first Irishman to win an individual European title in Birmingham. He also broke Olaf Beyer’s 48-year-old championship record with 1:43.49 in the semifinal
- Francesco Pernici broke the Italian 800m record which had stood since 1973 on 3 July, clocking 1:43.60 to improve the 53-year-old NR of 1:43.7 set by Marcello Fiasconaro and was also a world record at the time. "I had a huge adrenaline rush after finishing and I felt a truly powerful emotion. In an instant, I felt like I could see the entire path that had brought me here unfold, a strange but beautiful feeling,” he said
1500m
Last three sets of World Athletics Championships medallists
2025: 1 Isaac Nader (POR) 3:34.10, 2 Jake Wightman (GBR) 3:34.12, 3 Reynold Cheruiyot (KEN) 3:34.25
2023: 1 Josh Kerr (GBR) 3:29.38, 2 Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) 3:29.65, 3 Narve Gilje Nordas (NOR) 3:29.68
2022: 1 Jake Wightman (GBR) 3:29.23, 2 Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) 3:29.47, 3 Mohamed Katir (ESP) 3:29.90
Last two sets of Olympic medallists
2024: 1 Cole Hocker (USA) 3:27.65, 2 Josh Kerr (GBR) 3:27.79, 3 Yared Nuguse (USA) 3:27.80
2021: 1 Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) 3:28.32, 2 Timothy Cheruiyot (KEN) 3:29.01, 3 Josh Kerr (GBR) 3:29.05
(*bold denotes competing)
World leaders by year
2026 - 3:27.62+ Josh Kerr (GBR)
2025 - 3:27.49 Azeddine Habz (FRA)
2024 - 3:26.73 Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR)
2023 - 3:27.14 Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR)
2022 - 3:29.02 Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR)
2021 - 3:28.28 Timothy Cheruiyot (KEN)
Best mark on Hungarian soil
3:29.38 - Josh Kerr (GBR) 23.08.2023 - Budapest (World Champs)
Additional notes
- The entry-list features all of the last four world 1500m champions: Isaac Nader (2025), Josh Kerr (2023), Jake Wightman (2022) and Timothy Cheruiyot (2019) as well as all three medallists from the 2024 Olympics (Cole Hocker, Kerr, Yared Nuguse)
- The top six athletes on the 2026 world list and the top nine athletes on the world rankings are all due to race. 11 of the 13 entrants have sub-3:30 PBs for the 1500m
- Josh Kerr hasn't raced a 1500m this year but he still leads the 2026 world list with 3:27.62 en route to his world mile record in the London Diamond League. On why he races so sparingly, he said: "I'm not trying to avoid racing. I think that's maybe where the misconception is. I love racing. I just don't love racing when I'm not ready to go and when that risk (of injury) is high. The reason I can race so well is because I pick my races. I'm a human being at the end of the day, I'm not a robot." This will be Kerr's first race since winning the Commonwealth mile title in Glasgow with 3:54.12 on 1 August
- At the age of 17, Cam Myers (b. 2006) ran the 1500m qualifying time for the 2023 World Championships in Budapest with 3:33.26 but opted not to compete which he described as "as super tough choice."
- After winning the 5000m on the opening night of the Ultimate Championship, Jakob Ingebrigtsen has pulled out of the 1500m. "I would love for it to be different, and to be sharper in terms of recovery, but coming from a very difficult last two years with injury problems and achilles surgery I am forced to be more sensible than I would like to be. Ultimately, it is about getting back into racing, getting back to 100% fitness, and thinking about 2027," he said
- Cole Hocker, who finished second behind Ingebrigtsen in the 5000m, is still planning to contest the 1500m
200m
Last three sets of World Athletics Championships medallists
2025: 1 Noah Lyles (USA) 19.52 (0.0), 2 Kenny Bednarek (USA) 19.58, 3 Bryan Levell (JAM) 19.64
2023: 1 Noah Lyles (USA) 19.52 (-0.2), 2 Erriyon Knighton (USA) 19.75, 3 Letsile Tebogo (BOT) 19.81
2022: 1 Noah Lyles (USA) 19.31 (+0.4), 2 Kenny Bednarek (USA) 19.77, 3 Erriyon Knighton (USA) 19.80
Last two sets of Olympic medallists
2024: 1 Letsile Tebogo (BOT) 19.46 (+0.4), 2 Kenny Bednarek (USA) 19.62, 3 Noah Lyles (USA) 19.70
2021: 1 Andre de Grasse (CAN) 19.62 (-0.5), 2 Kenny Bednarek (USA) 19.68, 3 Noah Lyles (USA) 19.74
(*bold denotes competing)
World leaders by year
2026 - 19.62 (-0.4) Kenneth Bednarek (USA)
2025 - 19.51 (1.0) Noah Lyles (USA)
2024 - 19.46 (0.4) Letsile Tebogo (BOT)
2023 - 19.47 (1.6) Noah Lyles (USA)
2022 - 19.31 (0.4) Noah Lyles (USA)
2021 - 19.52 (1.5) Noah Lyles (USA)
Best mark on Hungarian soil
19.52 (-0.2) - Noah Lyles (USA) 25.08.2023 - Budapest (World Champs)
Additional notes
- 14 of the 16 athletes on the final entries have broken the 20 second-barrier.
- The final entries also features the silver and bronze medallists from the 2025 World Championships (Kenny Bednarek, Bryan Levell) and the gold and silver medallists from the 2024 Olympics (Letsile Tebogo, Bednarek)
- Bednarek will be going for a sprint double after winning the 100m in 9.85. After clocking 19.62 in Brussels to equal the world lead, he said: "Next week, if I execute well, I can drop a massive PB." He clocked his PB of 19.57 in Zurich 2024
