Usain Bolt remains the world record-holder for both the 100m and 200m. The Jamaican sprint great is the Ultimate Legend for the first&nbsp;World Athletics Ultimate Championship and ahead of the event we put him on the spot to find out... What's your Ultimate?
Ultimate performance... 9.58 for the 100m and 19.19 for the 200m in Berlin in 2009.
Ultimate event (bar your own)... The World Cup finals in 2022.
Ultimate career goal... To become a legend.
Ultimate athlete... Muhammad Ali.
Ultimate clash... Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi but in a 100m race!
Ultimate memory... Passing the baton to Asafa Powell with gold secured in the 4x100m at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
Ultimate venue... London 2012 &ndash; great energy and full stadiums for every single session.
Ultimate meal... Jamaican food is always the best &ndash; jerk pork, rice and peas.
Ultimate night out/night in... Always a night out &ndash; good food, good music, good friends and party till dawn.
Ultimate possession... Family.
Ultimate hidden talent... Dominoes.
Ultimate day off... Sofa, chill, watch sports, just hang out.
Ultimate holiday destination... Australia.
Ultimate pre-competition song... DJ Khaled &ndash; All I Do Is Win.
Ultimate movie... Gladiator.

World Athletics Ultimate Championship

In the build-up to the inaugural World Athletics Ultiimate Championship, each week we put an athlete on the spot to find out 'What's your Ultimate?' This week it's Ultimate Legend Usain Bolt.

What's your Ultimate? – Usain Bolt

World Athletics and World Rugby joined forces to share expertise and foster collaboration as part of the Safe Sport Global Conference at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, on 25-27 May.
The conference, which opened on Africa Day, brought together more than 400 delegates from various safeguarding organisations across the world. The collaboration between World Athletics and World Rugby saw the two international federations support the participation of several delegates from their respective African member federations as they shared knowledge and created links across the continent.
The programme for the three-day Safe Sport Global Conference, hosted by Safe Sport International, was designed to explore how safeguarding commitments translate into systems, leadership decisions and everyday practice across sport. Workshops and keynote presentations took place alongside research sessions, policy discussions and stakeholder dialogues.
Each day had a specific theme &ndash; day one centred on emerging research, knowledge exchange and dialogue between researchers, practitioners and policymakers; day two explored safeguarding leadership, policy development and collaboration across African sport systems; and day three focused on strengthening international cooperation and identifying shared priorities for advancing safeguarding worldwide.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6a26a2ec236cb3c3b87a5501.jpg" alt="World Athletics and World Rugby joint session at the Safe Sport Global Conference in Cape Town" />
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World Athletics and World Rugby joint session at the Safe Sport Global Conference in Cape Town (&copy; World Athletics)
Attendees from World Athletics and the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) included Senior Counsel Catherine Pitre, AIU Investigator and Analyst in Investigations &amp; Intelligence Hayley Gibbons, and AIU Deputy Head of Investigations Kyle Barber.
They shared their expertise during several sessions, including as part of panel discussions on &lsquo;Building a Continental Safeguarding Network&rsquo; and &lsquo;Trauma-informed Case Management&rsquo;. They also delivered a session alongside Swiss Sports Integrity: &lsquo;Two Sides of the Same Coin? Integrity and Safeguarding Approaches&rsquo;.
Alongside the conference, the opportunity was taken to bring together 15 safeguarding leads from World Athletics member federations in Africa, enabling them to build and enhance knowledge networks within the region, and discuss successes and challenges in implementing safeguarding at national level. In partnership with World Rugby, World Athletics delegates were paired with rugby safeguarding leads in the same regions to foster collaboration and share ideas.
&ldquo;The Safe Sport Global Conference showed growing global commitment to athlete safety,&rdquo; said National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe safeguarding officer Tawanda Mutero. &ldquo;It emphasised listening to athletes and putting them first. Collaboration was highlighted as key to making sport safer for everyone.&rdquo;
Athletics Namibia safeguarding officer Victoria Tilovanhu Katukula said: &ldquo;The Safe Sport Conference provided a valuable opportunity for networking with professionals committed to creating safer sporting environments. I gained deeper knowledge on safeguarding practices and learned practical examples of how safeguarding policies can be effectively implemented within sports organisations. My takeaway is that safeguarding is everyone&rsquo;s responsibility and it is not done overnight.&rdquo;
Key messages from the conference included reinforcing the pivotal concept of safeguarding being everyone&rsquo;s responsibility, the need for greater global harmonisation in safeguarding regulation and implementation, and best practice for ensuring that the athlete voice is heard.
The conference concluded with a call to carry the Safe Sport legacy forward, ensuring that the progress made continues to inspire meaningful change worldwide.
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World Athletics and World Rugby joined forces to share expertise and foster collaboration as part of the Safe Sport Global Conference at the University of Cape Town

World Athletics shares expertise at Safe Sport Global Conference

Just three days after the action in Stockholm, athletes will want to put on a show in Oslo as the Wanda Diamond League series moves on to the Bislett Games on Wednesday (10).
Rivalries are renewed in the middle distances, while Karsten Warholm and Alison dos Santos clash in the 400m hurdles, Julien Alfred makes her Diamond League season 100m debut after her 200m win in Rome, and Gout Gout races Letsile Tebogo over half a lap.
USA&rsquo;s world indoor champion Cooper Lutkenhaus made his Diamond League debut in the 800m in Stockholm, clocking 1:42.70 &ndash; the fastest outdoor time in the world so far this year &ndash; to beat 2023 world champion Marco Arop. They clash again in Oslo and this time they are also set to face Olympic and world champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Max Burgin, who beat Wanyonyi to victory at the Diamond League meeting in Rabat.
Yared Nuguse is also among the global medallists doing the Scandinavian double. The Olympic bronze medallist won the 1500m from Cameron Myers and Timothy Cheruiyot in Stockholm and they all race the Dream Mile in Oslo, joined again by Narve Gilje Nord&aring;s and Hobbs Kessler. Further strengthening the field are all three members of last year&rsquo;s world 1500m podium: champion Isaac Nader, silver medallist Jake Wightman and bronze medallist Reynold Cheruiyot.
The 5000m features the four fastest men of 2025 &ndash; double Olympic medallist Grant Fisher, world 10,000m bronze medallist Andreas Almgren and last year&rsquo;s Bislett Games top two Nico Young and Biniam Mehary &ndash; against world silver medallist Isaac Kimeli, Jacob Krop and Birhanu Balew.
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Likina Amebaw and Freweyni Hailu, who won the 5000m in Rome and the 1500m in Rabat, respectively, meet in the middle when they race the 3000m in Oslo. They face world U20 champion Aleshign Baweke, who finished second between her two compatriots in Rome and fourth in the world indoor 3000m final, as well as Linden Hall, Georgia Griffith, Maureen Koster and Hannah Nuttall.
<h2>Alfred, Tebogo and Gout star in sprints</h2>
After winning the 200m in 21.93 in Rome, Saint Lucia&rsquo;s Julien Alfred races her first Diamond League 100m since winning the final last September. The Olympic champion faces world 200m silver medallist Amy Hunt and Patrizia Van der Weken, who finished second and third respectively in Stockholm, Hunt breaking 11 seconds for the first time.
Australia&rsquo;s world U20 silver medallist Gout Gout will make his senior Diamond League debut when he lines up alongside Botswana&rsquo;s Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo in the 200m in Oslo. Gout set a world U20 record of 19.67 in Sydney in April &ndash; a time that remains the fastest in the world so far this year. The 18-year-old races for the first time since then, up against Tebogo, who ran 19.96 to finish second in Rabat, plus Sinesipho Dambile, who was second in Stockholm.
The women&rsquo;s 400m features a rematch between home favourite Henriette J&aelig;ger and Czechia&rsquo;s world indoor champion Lurdes Gloria Manuel, the top two in Rome, as they take on Natalia Bukowiecka, Nickisha Pryce, Lieke Klaver and Amber Anning.
<h2>Warholm vs Dos Santos</h2>
Home star Karsten Warholm set a world 300m hurdles best when he last raced at the Bislett Games and the three-time world champion will want to return to winning ways when he lines up again at the Bislett Stadium. Norway&rsquo;s world 400m hurdles record-holder has lost twice to Brazil&rsquo;s 2022 world champion Alison dos Santos so far this year and Dos Santos backed up those performances with another win in the non-Diamond League 400m hurdles in Stockholm.
Joining them in the clash that will close the Bislett Games programme on Wednesday are two-time world bronze medallist Abderrahman Samba, Matheus Lima and Trevor Bassitt.
Emma Zapletalov&aacute; continues her campaign after setting national records to win the 400m hurdles in Rabat and Rome, clocking 52.58 at the latter. Rushell Clayton was third in both races and races again.
<h2>Marschall and Schilder seek Scandinavian double</h2>
Australia&rsquo;s world bronze medallist Kurtis Marschall won the pole vault in Stockholm, handing Mondo Duplantis his first defeat in almost three years. Duplantis won&rsquo;t be in Oslo as the world record-holder switches his focus to his wedding, but this time Marschall will star in a rematch with Emmanouil Karalis, the Greek world and Olympic medallist who sits second on the world all-time list with his 6.17m clearance from February. Karalis has cleared six metres twice already this outdoor season, but Marschall beat him in their only other Diamond League clash so far in 2026, in Shanghai. Norway&rsquo;s Sondre Guttormsen will want to impress in front of a home crowd, while the field also features Sam Kendricks and Menno Vloon.
World champion Jessica Schilder seeks her third Diamond League shot put win of the season after backing up her 21.09m Diamond League record in Shanghai with a 20.89m meeting record in Stockholm. In another clash of global champions, she faces world indoor champion Chase Jackson, two-time world indoor champion Sarah Mitton and Olympic champion Yemisi Mabry (n&eacute;e Ogunleye).
The world and Olympic champions go head-to-head in the women&rsquo;s triple jump as Leyanis P&eacute;rez takes on Thea LaFond. The men&rsquo;s event also includes a whole host of major medallists as two-time world indoor champion Andy D&iacute;az, who won in Rome, faces world champion Pedro Pichardo, making his season debut, plus Jordan Scott and Yasser Triki.
The javelin stars China&rsquo;s Yan Ziyi, who threw 71.74m in Xiamen for the second-best performance in history. This time, the 18-year-old&rsquo;s rivals will include Juleisy Angulo, competing for the first time since her world title win in Tokyo.
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Just three days after the action in Stockholm, athletes will want to put on a show in Oslo as the Wanda Diamond League series moves on to the Bislett Games

Stacked fields on show in Oslo

Switzerland&rsquo;s Audrey Werro stormed to third on the world 800m all-time list as she ran a Wanda Diamond League record of 1:53.98 to win a sensational race against Keely Hodgkinson at the Bauhaus-Galan in Stockholm on Sunday (7).
They pushed each other to two of the six fastest times in history, 22-year-old Werro becoming the first woman to break 1:54 in almost 43 years and Hodgkinson running a British record of 1:54.33 for the fastest ever non-winning time. USA&rsquo;s Roisin Willis was third in a PB of 1:57.56.
The target time was set at 1:54 and it was Werro who tracked the pacemaker as she reached 400m in 55.54. Hodgkinson kicked off the bend and led until the final straight but Werro, who won the Diamond League title last year, was in hot pursuit.
Werro kicked past the Olympic champion down the home straight, striding over the finish line in 1:53.98 to become just the third woman in history to break 1:54.
&ldquo;I still need to process. I am still in shock at this performance,&rdquo; said Werro. &ldquo;Today I was in great shape, I was ready mentally and physically, so it was a good day for me.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It was not my main goal to follow the pacemaker, but the race went like that. When they dropped out, I decided to follow Keely as long as possible, and I gave it everything I had. I need some time to process what just happened, but I am so happy with my time.&rdquo;
<h2>Meeting records for Schilder and Bouzayani</h2>
Two more meeting records fell in the shot put and 3000m steeplechase.&nbsp;
Dutch world champion Jessica Schilder got her second Diamond League win of the season, following her Diamond League record of 21.09m in Shanghai with a meeting record of 20.89m to triumph by almost a metre in Stockholm. After opening with 20.33m, she threw 20.89m in the fifth round to improve on the meeting record of 20.57m set by Valerie Adams in 2011.
World indoor champion Chase Jackson, fresh from a 20.66m throw to beat Schilder in Turku, finished second this time on 19.91m. Two-time world indoor champion Sarah Mitton was third in both Shanghai and Turku, and she repeated the feat in Stockholm with a best of 19.89m.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6a25b679fe0aa6f6157fb4c5.jpg" alt="Marwa Bouzayani celebrates her steeplechase win in Stockholm" />
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Marwa Bouzayani celebrates her steeplechase win in Stockholm (&copy; Diamond League AG)
Tunisia&rsquo;s Marwa Bouzayani smashed the meeting record with 8:59.28 to secure her first Diamond League win in the 3000m steeplechase. The world fourth-place finisher showed she meant business, passing the pacemaker and running solo to reach the 1000m mark in 2:55.51. Despite that fierce start, she still managed to hold on and break nine minutes, dipping under that barrier for the third time this year &ndash; following her national record of 8:58.09 for third place in Shanghai and 8:59.25 to finish fourth in Xiamen. She won by more than 11 seconds, Elise Thorner coming through to clinch the runner-up spot in 9:11.01.
USA&rsquo;s world indoor champion Cooper Lutkenhaus impressed again to win the 800m on his Diamond League debut. The 17-year-old became the youngest winner of any event at a World Championships, indoors or out, by taking the world indoor 800m title in March. He picked up from where he left off, winning his first 800m race of the outdoor season in 1:42.70 &ndash; the fastest outdoor time in the world so far this year.
In a well-judged race, he tracked 2023 world champion Marco Arop to the home straight and then kicked past him. Arop was second in 1:43.11 and Slimane Moula was third in 1:43.41.
USA&rsquo;s Olympic bronze medallist Yared Nuguse pipped Australia&rsquo;s Cameron Myers to victory in the 1500m, edging past in the closing stages to triumph in 3:30.11. Myers settled for second in 3:30.32, while Timothy Cheruiyot was third in 3:30.67.&nbsp;The men&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase was won by two-time Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali in 8:10.40.
Kenny Bednarek won his second consecutive Diamond League 200m, the US world and Olympic silver medallist following his 19.69 victory in Rabat with a clear 19.87 (1.0m/s) win in Stockholm.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6a25b659fe0aa6f6157fb4c2.jpg" alt="Kenny Bednarek on his way to 200m victory in Stockholm" />
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Kenny Bednarek on his way to 200m victory in Stockholm (&copy; Diamond League AG)
USA&rsquo;s world champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden stormed to victory in her first 100m race of the year, clocking 10.84 (0.8m/s) &ndash; her fastest ever season opener. Great Britain&rsquo;s world 200m silver medallist Amy Hunt broke 11 seconds for the first time, her 10.97 securing second place ahead of Patrizia Van der Weken (11.05).
South Africa&rsquo;s world fifth-place finisher Zakithi Nene won the 400m out of the outside lane, judging his race to perfection to hold off USA&rsquo;s Jacory Patterson &ndash; 44.48 to 44.69. Alison dos Santos led a Brazilian top two in the non-Diamond League 400m hurdles, clocking 47.11 to win ahead of Matheus Lima in a PB of 47.37.
<h2>Marschall defeats Duplantis&nbsp;</h2>
Australia&rsquo;s world bronze medallist Kurtis Marschall handed Mondo Duplantis his first defeat in almost three years in the pole vault.
Multiple world and Olympic champion Duplantis improved the world record to 6.28m on his home soil in Stockholm last year and has since taken that mark to 6.31m. But this time his best was 5.80m and so Marschall clinched his first Diamond League win with his third-time clearance of 5.90m.
After one failure each at earlier heights, both Marschall and Duplantis cleared 5.80m on their first attempts. Duplantis passed at the next height and that made the difference, as Marschall managed 5.90m on his final try. Duplantis then had two unsuccessful attempts at 6.00m, a height Marschall skipped. Duplantis used his final attempt at 6.05m and when he also knocked the bar at that height, Marschall was confirmed the winner. The Australian had two attempts himself at 6.05m and then retired with the win secured.
Duplantis had achieved a 40-final win streak since his last loss in Monaco in July 2023, those victories including five world title wins &ndash; three indoors and two outdoors &ndash; and a second Olympic title win as well as nine world records.
USA&rsquo;s world and Olympic champion Valarie Sion maintained her reign in the discus, throwing 68.60m in the second round to win by more than two metres. She backed that up with two other throws beyond 68 metres. World silver medallist Jorinde van Klinken was second with 66.57m. Sweden&rsquo;s three-time world champion Daniel St&aring;hl got a home win in the men&rsquo;s&nbsp;discus, throwing 69.60m from his single valid attempt to beat Matthew Denny (69.02m) and Kristjan Čeh (67.67m).
Hilary Kpatcha of France won the long jump by just one centimetre, leaping a wind-assisted 6.85m (2.4m/s) to beat Italy&rsquo;s Larissa Iapichino with a wind-aided 6.84m (2.1m/s).
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/diamond-league/calendar-results/7214021/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Results</a>
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Switzerland’s Audrey Werro stormed to third on the world 800m all-time list as she ran a Wanda Diamond League record of 1:53.98 to win a sensational race against Keely Hodgkinson

Werro goes No.3 all time with 1:53.98 800m in Stockholm

Gabby Thomas produced the standout sprint performance at the USATF Lone Star Grand Prix in College Station, winning the women&rsquo;s 200m in 21.70 (0.7m/s) at the first US-based World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting of 2026.
The US sprinter&rsquo;s time was faster than the mark she ran to win the Olympic title in 2024 and just 0.10 shy of the PB she set in 2023. She won comfortably from compatriot Kayla White, who clocked 22.07, and Nigeria&rsquo;s Favour Ofili, who was third in 22.15.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m a little surprised by the time, but I&rsquo;ve been training hard,&rdquo; said Thomas, who headed into the race off the back of her first wind-legal sub-11 clocking for 100m. &ldquo;I had a great little tour in Africa and now the hard work is paying off.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m enjoying having an &lsquo;off&rsquo; year where there&rsquo;s not the pressure of an Olympics or World Championships, so I&rsquo;m just having fun this season.&rdquo;
Camryn Rogers continued her superb season in the women&rsquo;s hammer, extending her winning streak with a 79.36m throw in a high-quality and competitive contest.
The Olympic champion and two-time world champion, who has thrown beyond 80 metres three times this year, including in Turku just three days ago, had to work for victory against USA&rsquo;s Rachel Richeson.
Richeson took the early lead with 74.53m, while Rogers opened with a foul before throwing 74.43m in the second round to move into second place. The Canadian then took control with 79.36m in round three.
Richeson responded in the next round with a lifetime best of 79.33m, consolidating her position at sixth on the world all-time list and moving to within just three centimetres of Rogers&rsquo; lead. Both women ended their series with throws beyond 77 metres, but neither improved, leaving Rogers to claim another victory. Her last defeat is now more than a year ago.
For the first time ever outside of a global championships final, six women threw beyond 74 metres.
<h2>Nathaniel edges Bassitt in hurdles battle</h2>
Nigeria&rsquo;s Ezekiel Nathaniel, the fourth-place finisher at last year&rsquo;s World Championships, prevailed in a thrilling men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles race, edging Trevor Bassitt by the narrowest of margins.
Caleb Dean led through the first 300 metres before Bassitt began to challenge coming into the home straight. Nathaniel also came through strongly, and he and Bassitt battled down the final straight before crossing the line together in 47.37. Nathaniel was given the verdict by just two thousandths of a second, while Bassitt was rewarded with a PB. Dean finished close behind in 47.42.
Jamar Marshall was a convincing winner of the men&rsquo;s 110m hurdles, clocking a PB of 13.04 to finish ahead of US compatriot De&rsquo;Vion Wilson, who ran 13.24.
In the women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles, Kemi Adekoya led throughout to win in 53.71. Shamier Little mounted a challenge, but Zimbabwe&rsquo;s Ashley Miller came through to take second in 54.08, improving her own national record by 1.01. Little finished third in 54.15.
There was a Jamaican one-two in the women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles as Demisha Roswell won in 12.53 from Ackera Nugent, who clocked 12.61. USA&rsquo;s Rayniah Jones was third in 12.62, while Olympic silver medallist Cyrena Samba-Mayela, who has struggled with injury for the past 18 months, produced her best run since September 2024 with 12.65 in fourth.
The men&rsquo;s 200m was much closer than the women&rsquo;s race. The field was relatively even coming off the bend before 18-year-old Tate Taylor edged in front, but Zimbabwe&rsquo;s Olympic finalist Makanakaishe Charamba, running from lane eight, came through to win in a PB of 19.88.
Taylor was rewarded with a PB of 19.97, moving him to equal sixth on the world U20 all-time list. Michael Norman finished sixth in 20.40, his fastest time since 2022, the year in which he won the world 400m title.
Trayvon Bromell emerged victorious in a wind-assisted men&rsquo;s 100m, clocking 9.85 (3.8m/s) to beat a high-quality field. Canada&rsquo;s 2021 Olympic 200m champion Andre De Grasse was second in 9.91, with world champion Oblique Seville third, also in 9.91. The top eight men finished inside 10 seconds.
Jamaican teenager Sabrina Dockery powered through to win the women&rsquo;s 100m in a PB of 10.92, breaking 11 seconds for the first time. Canada&rsquo;s Audrey Leduc was second in 10.97, with Jamaica&rsquo;s Jodean Williams third in a PB of 10.97.
<h2>Maloney dominates 800m</h2>
Shafiqua Maloney produced a dominant display in the women&rsquo;s 800m. The Olympic fourth-place finisher from St Vincent and the Grenadines led through the first lap in 56.07, then continued to pull away from the rest of the field. She won in 1:57.34, just 0.05 shy of her PB, finishing more than a second clear of Jamaica&rsquo;s Kelly-Ann Beckford, who ran a PB of 1:58.46, and USA&rsquo;s Victoria Bossong, who also set a PB with 1:58.52.
In the men&rsquo;s 400m, 2025 world indoor champion Chris Bailey produced a perfectly controlled effort to win in a season&rsquo;s best of 44.35. He finished a few strides ahead of Bryce Deadmon, who clocked 44.74. World indoor champion Christopher Morales Williams ran 45.04 for fourth, while Olympic champion Quincy Hall clocked 45.51 in seventh.
Elsewhere, world bronze medallist Curtis Thompson was a clear winner of the men&rsquo;s javelin, his first-round throw of 84.88m proving enough for victory. World and Olympic medallist Chris Nilsen took the men&rsquo;s pole vault with 5.80m.

Gabby Thomas produced the standout sprint performance at the USATF Lone Star Grand Prix in College Station

Thomas scorches to 21.70 at Lone Star Grand Prix

World Athletics is proud to announce that the sustainable event management system it has developed to embed sustainability into its operations across the sport has been re-certified to ISO 20121:2024, the globally-recognised standard that guides organisations to integrate sustainability into every facet of their event planning and execution.
The certification process included a rigorous two-day audit of World Athletics' sustainability policies and documentation. This involved operations and risk management analyses, coupled with on-site staff interviews, with a strong focus on how the sustainability management system has matured and continues to evolve since its initial certification in 2023.
The standard was developed in the run-in to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games as a framework to address limiting carbon emissions and waste, managing the biodiversity of venues and respecting human rights. It was revised in 2024 to align expectations with global sustainability frameworks adopted since 2012, including the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals, UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and the Paris Agreement on climate change.
The revised standard includes an increased focus on climate change and legacy, and human and child rights. Those who implement the standard must now undertake a double materiality assessment that requires an organisation or event to consider their impact on people and the environment as well as the risks and opportunities for the organisation created by sustainability-related developments and events.
&ldquo;This independent review recognises the progress we are making to ensure that sustainability considerations are being embedded across all of our operations,&rdquo; said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe. &ldquo;It shows that the path we're creating for all of our events, member federations and other stakeholders is leading to meaningful and verifiable impact.&rdquo;
The re-certification audit was conducted by a team from Act Responsibly, a Swiss-based consultancy with strong expertise in the international sports federation sector. The scope of the re-certification also includes the <a href="https://worldathletics.org/organisation/better-world/sustainability-initiatives/athletics-for-a-better-world-standard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Athletics for a Better World (ABW) Standard</a>, a system developed by World Athletics that evaluates, measures and scores an event&rsquo;s achievement in sustainable delivery.
In January 2024, sustainability reporting through the ABW Standard became a requirement for most global elite competitions managed or awarded by World Athletics. In total, 104 events completed sustainability reporting for their 2024 editions while <a href="https://worldathletics.org/organisation/better-world/sustainability-initiatives/abw-standard-certified-events" target="_blank" rel="noopener">121 completed their reporting for 2025</a>. When fully adopted, the ABW Standard will be the largest sustainability evaluation system in the sport industry.
World Athletics&rsquo; third sustainability report, which will include a comprehensive review of the strategy&rsquo;s first five years, will be released later this month.
World Athletics

World Athletics is proud to announce that the sustainable event management system it has developed to embed sustainability into its operations across the sport has been re-certified to ISO 20121:2024

World Athletics achieves re-certification of ISO 20121, the leading sustainable event management international standard

Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage produced the best javelin throw of his career to smash the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea meeting record with a world-leading 92.62m at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Rome on Thursday (4).
The Sri Lankan opened with 84.49m &ndash; a mark that would have been good enough to win &ndash; before launching his second-round effort way beyond 90 metres. His 92.62m added more than two metres to the meeting record of 90.34m set by Andreas Thorkildsen 20 years ago, moved Pathirage to eighth on the world all-time list and made him the second-best Asian thrower in history.
It was also the best throw in the world since the 2024 Olympic final, and secured him a clear victory over two-time world champion Anderson Peters, who was second with 83.91m, and world bronze medallist Curtis Thompson, who was third with 83.89m.
&ldquo;I tried my best today to set a national record and I managed to improve it by three metres,&rdquo; said Pathirage. &ldquo;Even though I had only two valid attempts today, I am very stable mentally. It was very hot in Rabat, but the weather in Rome is good and felt like ideal conditions in which to throw far. Winning today felt like a Sri Lankan festival.&rdquo;
There was another meeting record in the men&rsquo;s 110m hurdles, where Trey Cunningham became the 29th member of the sub-13-second club.
The 2022 world silver medallist won in a world-leading PB of 12.98, breaking the meeting record set by Allen Johnson in 1999. Jamaica&rsquo;s world silver medallist Orlando Bennett was a distant second in 13.31.
&ldquo;This was a long time coming,&rdquo; said the US hurdler, who lost his luggage on the way to Rome but thankfully had an extra pair of spikes and kit in his hand luggage. &ldquo;Beating the meeting record set 27 years ago by Allen Johnson, who is an all-time great, is special.
&ldquo;I am very excited for the World Ultimate Championship,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to be the 16 fastest people and only one winner. My motto this year is to enjoy what is happening right now.&rdquo;
<h2>Zapletalova and Amebaw add world leads</h2>
Emma Zapletalova improved her own world lead and Slovakian record to win the women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles in 52.58.
The world bronze medallist&rsquo;s performance moved her to third on the European all-time list, and gave her victory over Olympic silver medallist Anna Cockrell, who was second in a season&rsquo;s best of 52.77. Jamaica&rsquo;s Rushell Clayton finished third in 53.14.
Likina Amebaw led an Ethiopian sweep of the top seven places in the women&rsquo;s 5000m, winning in a world-leading PB of 14:18.41.
Amebaw improved her best by six seconds and was followed by Aleshign Baweke, who clocked 14:18.54, Freweyni Hailu, who ran 14:18.94, and Senayet Getachew, who finished fourth in 14:22.37. The top four all set PBs.
Olympic steeplechase champion Winfred Yavi had led through 3000m in 8:41.17 and continued to lead at 4000m, but faded from contention in the final kilometre. She finished eighth, though was rewarded with a Bahraini record of 14:30.06.
<h2>Olympic champions Lyles and Alfred impress in sprints</h2>
Noah Lyles produced his fastest 100m since the 2024 Olympic final, beating a quality field to win in 9.88 (0.4m/s).
The US sprinter ran out a comfortable winner as Cameroon&rsquo;s Emmanuel Eseme set a national record of 9.94 in second. Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo was third in a season&rsquo;s best of 9.95, world indoor champion Jordan Anthony fourth in 9.96 and Marcell Jacobs fifth in a season&rsquo;s best of 9.99.
Julien Alfred came within 0.02 of the meeting record in the women&rsquo;s 200m, winning comfortably in 21.93.
World champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, contesting her first individual race since the 2025 World Championships, was second in 22.17. USA&rsquo;s Anavia Battle finished third in 22.39 and world silver medallist Amy Hunt fourth in 22.52.
Henriette Jaeger won a high-quality women&rsquo;s 400m in a season&rsquo;s best of 49.60. World indoor champion Lurdes Gloria Manuel of Czechia was second in a big PB of 49.77, her first time inside 50 seconds, while Nickisha Pryce was third in 49.80 and Aaliyah Butler fourth in 49.83.
Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson finished seventh in 51.14, improving her PB by half a second.
<h2>Fabbri and Diaz delight home crowd</h2>
Leonardo Fabbri gave the Italian crowd a popular home victory in the men&rsquo;s shot put, winning with 22.14m.
He was the only man in the field to throw beyond 22 metres, beating two-time world champion Joe Kovacs, who threw 21.87m, three-time Olympic champion Ryan Crouser, who reached 21.50m, and world indoor champion Tom Walsh, who threw 21.49m.
Andy Diaz also delivered an Italian victory, winning the men&rsquo;s triple jump in his first competition since retaining his world indoor title.
Diaz took the lead in the second round with 17.58m, then improved by one centimetre to 17.59m in round five. Jamaica&rsquo;s world leader Jordan Scott finished second with 17.33m.
Miltiadis Tentoglou appeared to have done enough to win the men&rsquo;s long jump after moving into the lead with 8.20m in the fifth round and then improving to 8.24m in the final round.
But Bulgaria&rsquo;s Bozhidar Saraboyukov produced the winning leap with the final jump of the competition, reaching 8.26m (-0.1m/s). Cuba&rsquo;s Jorge Hodelin was third with 8.18m.
The women&rsquo;s pole vault was even closer, as two-time world indoor champion Molly Caudery won on countback from Olympic champion Nina Kennedy and Switzerland&rsquo;s Angelica Moser. All three cleared 4.80m; Caudery and Kennedy managed it on their first attempts, while Moser got over on her second.
Caudery&rsquo;s British compatriot and fellow world indoor champion Georgia Hunter Bell won the women&rsquo;s 1500m comfortably in 3:58.63, ahead of Poland&rsquo;s Klaudia Kazimierska, who ran 3:59.24, and USA&rsquo;s Nikki Hiltz, who clocked 3:59.26.
Elsewhere, European champion Gabriel Tual won a close men&rsquo;s 800m in a season&rsquo;s best of 1:43.66, holding off Mark English, who was second in a season&rsquo;s best of 1:43.80. Jamaica&rsquo;s Megan Simmonds won the women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles in a season&rsquo;s best of 12.50 from USA&rsquo;s Kendra Harrison, who ran 12.54, and Nadine Visser of the Netherlands, who clocked 12.58. Italy&rsquo;s Matteo Sioli won the men&rsquo;s high jump with 2.28m.

Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage produced the best javelin throw of his career to smash the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea meeting record

Pathirage and Cunningham break meeting records in Rome

Mondo Duplantis will return to the scene of one of his many world record-breaking performances when he contests the pole vault at the Bauhaus-Galan in Stockholm on Sunday (7), the fifth meeting of the 2026 Wanda Diamond League.
The Swedish star cleared 6.28m at Stockholm&rsquo;s Olympic Stadium last year, adding another centimetre to his own world record. Since then, the multiple world and Olympic champion and World Athlete of the Year has taken the mark to 6.31m, also achieved on home soil in Uppsala earlier this year.
Duplantis has been undefeated for almost three years and has already added more honours to his remarkable record in 2026. After setting his latest world record in Uppsala in March, he went on to win a fourth world indoor title. He opened his outdoor campaign last month in Shanghai, winning with an outdoor world lead of 6.12m.
Stockholm will be just his second outdoor competition of the year, and he will face three other men who have already scaled 6.00m this season: world bronze medallist Kurtis Marschall of Australia, Norwegian record-holder Sondre Guttormsen and USA&rsquo;s Zachery Bradford.
<h2>Distance fields loaded with global medallists</h2>
Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson will make her first outdoor 800m appearance of 2026. The world indoor record-holder takes on Diamond League champion Audrey Werro, who won recently in Rabat with an outdoor world lead of 1:56.56, plus 2025 world indoor champion Prudence Sekgodiso, world finalist Sage Hurta-Klecker and European bronze medallist Ana&iuml;s Bourgoin.
The men&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase brings together the full podiums from the past three global championships. Two-time Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali heads to Stockholm after winning in Rabat last week in a world-leading 7:57.25, the second-fastest time of his career.
He faces world champion Geordie Beamish, world record-holder Lamecha Girma, 2023 Diamond League champion Simon Kiprop Koech, world bronze medallist Edmund Serem, Olympic silver medallist Kenneth Rooks and Olympic bronze medallist Abraham Kibiwot.
The men&rsquo;s 1500m could produce one of the races of the meeting, as a deep field takes aim at a meeting record that has stood since 1997. Hicham El Guerrouj&rsquo;s mark of 3:29.30 remains the Stockholm standard, and no one else has ever broken 3:30 at the meeting. That could change on Sunday, with world 10,000m bronze medallist Andreas Almgren among those lining up in front of a home crowd.
He will face 2019 world champion Timothy Cheruiyot, who is a three-time winner in Stockholm, world 10,000m champion Jimmy Gressier, French record-holder Azeddine Habz, world road mile champion Hobbs Kessler, Olympic bronze medallist Yared Nuguse and Australia&rsquo;s Cameron Myers, who is undefeated in eight races this year across distances from 800m to 5000m.
The men&rsquo;s 800m also has strong global pedigree, with 2023 world champion Marco Arop taking on world indoor champion Cooper Lutkenhaus, still a teenager, and world indoor bronze medallist Mohamed Attaoui.
In the women&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase, Tunisia&rsquo;s Marwa Bouzayani, France&rsquo;s Alice Finot, USA&rsquo;s Gabrielle Jennings and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Kena Tufa are among the contenders.
<h2>Jefferson-Wooden opens 100m season</h2>
Double world champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden will contest her first 100m of the year in Stockholm.
Three days after racing over 200m in Rome, the US sprinter faces British record-holder Dina Asher-Smith, USA&rsquo;s Jacious Sears and Italy&rsquo;s world indoor champion Zaynab Dosso.
The men&rsquo;s 400m features six sub-44 performers. Olympic silver medallist Matt Hudson-Smith, Olympic bronze medallist Muzala Samukonga, world silver medallist Jereem Richards, Diamond League champion Jacory Patterson, world indoor silver medallist Khaleb McRae and South Africa&rsquo;s Zakithi Nene all line up in a field rich in one-lap quality.
Kenny Bednarek returns to Diamond League action in the men&rsquo;s 200m after winning in Rabat in 19.69. The world and Olympic silver medallist will face world finalist Sinesipho Dimbile and Cuban record-holder Reynier Mena.
<h2>Throws fields packed with champions</h2>
With a shot put line-up that features the winners of every global championship from 2022 onwards, Valerie Adams&rsquo; meeting record of 20.57m could come under threat.
World champion Jessica Schilder, who recently broke the Diamond League record with 21.09m, takes on world indoor champion Chase Jackson, fresh from a 20.66m victory in Turku, two-time world indoor champion Sarah Mitton and Olympic champion Yemisi Mabry (nee Ogunleye).
The men&rsquo;s discus brings together 2022 world champion Kristjan Ceh, who won in Turku earlier this week, three-time world champion Daniel Stahl, Olympic bronze medallist Matthew Denny, Olympic champion Roje Stona and world bronze medallist Alex Rose.
The women&rsquo;s discus features the full podiums from the past two World Championships. World and Olympic champion Valarie Sion takes on the two women who preceded her as world champion: Laulauga Tausaga and Feng Bin. World silver medallist Jorinde van Klinken and Silinda Morales are also in the field.
Two-time world champion Malaika Mihambo heads the women&rsquo;s long jump field, where she will face Diamond League champion Larissa Iapichino, world indoor champion Agate de Sousa and 2025 world indoor champion Claire Bryant.
The non-Diamond League women&rsquo;s 1500m is led by three Ethiopian athletes who have broken four minutes this year: Birke Haylom, Worknesh Mesele and Haregeweyni Kalayu.

Mondo Duplantis will return to the scene of one of his many world record-breaking performances when he contests the pole vault at the Bauhaus-Galan in Stockholm

Duplantis returns to scene of world record in Stockholm

An exceptional women&rsquo;s hammer field featuring three of the four women in history to have thrown beyond 80 metres will headline the USATF Lone Star Grand Prix in College Station, Texas, on Saturday (6), the first US-based World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting of 2026.
All podium placers from the past four global championships &mdash; the past three World Championships and the 2024 Olympic Games &mdash; are set to compete, while the field also includes the top four throwers in the world this year.
Canada&rsquo;s Camryn Rogers, the Olympic champion and two-time world champion, leads the field. The second-best thrower in history, Rogers has thrown beyond 80 metres in four of her past five competitions, the latest of which was an 80.09m victory in Turku on Wednesday.
She will be joined by two other 80-metre throwers: 2022 world champion Brooke Anderson and 2019 world champion DeAnna Price.
US thrower Rachel Richeson recently improved her PB to 78.95m to consolidate her position at sixth on the world all-time list, while China&rsquo;s Zhao Jie has set an Asian record of 78.22m this year. Zhao, the world silver medallist and Olympic bronze medallist, will be joined by compatriot Zhang Jiale, the world bronze medallist and world U20 record-holder, who has thrown 77.15m this season.
Olympic silver medallist Annette Echikunwoke and 2023 world silver medallist Janee Kassanavoid add further depth to a field that would not look out of place in a global final.
<h2>Seville and Thomas headline sprint clashes</h2>
Oblique Seville will contest his first 100m since winning the world title last year in a PB of 9.77.
The Jamaican faces a field that includes 2021 Olympic 200m champion Andre De Grasse, 2016 world indoor champion Trayvon Bromell, 2023 world bronze medallist Zharnel Hughes and 9.83 performer Ronnie Baker.
The women&rsquo;s 200m also features an Olympic champion, with Gabby Thomas lining up after clocking 21.89 earlier this year. She will face Olympic finalist Favour Ofili, Olympic 400m fourth-place finisher Rhasidat Adeleke, world and Olympic finalist Deajah Stevens and Cambrea Sturgis, who has run 21.93 this season.
USA&rsquo;s 2022 world 400m champion Michael Norman heads the men&rsquo;s 200m field, where he will take on Kyree King, Olympic finalists Tapiwanashe Makarawu and Makanakaishe Charamba of Zimbabwe, and Canada&rsquo;s Aaron Brown.
In the women&rsquo;s 100m, 2023 world 4x100m champion Tamari Davis faces African silver medallist Rosemary Chukwuma, who has a PB of 10.95 and has clocked a wind-assisted 10.81 this year, plus Jamaica&rsquo;s world 4x100m silver medallist Jodean Williams.
The men&rsquo;s 400m brings together three winners of individual global titles. World indoor champion Christopher Morales Williams, Olympic champion Quincy Hall and 2023 world champion Antonio Watson will line up alongside Bryce Deadmon, a four-time global relay champion.
<h2>One-lap hurdles add further depth</h2>
The men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles brings together three athletes with strong global credentials.
World finalist Caleb Dean has run 47.75 this year, while 2022 world bronze medallist Trevor Bassitt has clocked 47.82. They will face Nigerian record-holder Ezekiel Nathaniel, who finished fourth at the 2025 World Championships in 47.11.
In the women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles, Shamier Little faces Andrenette Knight and Savannah Sutherland.
There is more depth in the sprint hurdles, where Jamaica&rsquo;s Diamond League champion Ackera Nugent lines up in the women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles against Olympic silver medallist Cyrena Samba-Mayela, 2019 world champion Nia Ali and world bronze medallist Grace Stark.
Jamaica&rsquo;s Tyler Mason, the world bronze medallist, features in the men&rsquo;s 110m hurdles.
In the women&rsquo;s 400m, Nigeria&rsquo;s Ella Onojuvwevwo looks to maintain her momentum following her African indoor record of 50.28 earlier in the year and her outdoor season debut of 49.59. She will face Jamaica&rsquo;s Stacey Ann Williams and US duo Britton Wilson and Bailey Lear.
<h2>Caribbean clashes at 800m</h2>
Both 800m races look set to be a duel between Jamaica and St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Navasky Anderson, who set a Jamaican record of 1:42.76 in the world final last year, takes on Handal Roban in the men&rsquo;s race. Roban set a Vincentian record of 1:42.87 to win the NACAC title last year.
In the women&rsquo;s 800m, Shafiqua Maloney of St Vincent and the Grenadines &mdash; fourth at the 2024 Olympic Games &mdash; lines up with a season&rsquo;s best of 1:59.54. The field also includes Jamaica&rsquo;s 2023 world finalist Adelle Tracey and USA&rsquo;s Meghan Hunter.
North American record-holder KC Lightfoot heads an all-US men&rsquo;s pole vault field. He will face four-time global medallist Chris Nilsen, Pan-American champion Matt Ludwig and 2025 US champion Austin Miller.
In the men&rsquo;s javelin, world bronze medallist Curtis Thompson takes on South Africa&rsquo;s Douw Smit, who recently improved his PB to 84.57m in Bydgoszcz.
The men&rsquo;s high jump includes Jamaica&rsquo;s Raymond Richards, the two-time world indoor bronze medallist, and compatriot Romain Beckford.

An exceptional women’s hammer field featuring three of the four women in history to have thrown beyond 80 metres will headline the USATF Lone Star Grand Prix

Global champions Seville, Rogers and Thomas lead stacked fields for Lone Star Grand Prix

Olympic champion Camryn Rogers produced one of eight meeting records at the Paavo Nurmi Games, launching her hammer out to 80.09m at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting in Turku on Wednesday (3).
The two-time world champion, already the second-best thrower in history, opened with 73.43m before taking the lead in round two with a meeting record of 77.87m. She backed that up with 76.76m in round three, then saved her best for last, sending the hammer out to 80.09m with her final throw of the competition.
It was her third competition this year beyond 80 metres, having started her season with 81.13m &ndash; a mark that puts her second on the world all-time list.
Finnish duo Silja Kosonen and Krista Tervo finished second and third with 76.41m and 75.55m respectively.
<h2>Jackson and Karalis among other meeting record-breakers</h2>
USA&rsquo;s Chase Jackson also produced a meeting record in the women&rsquo;s shot put, winning with 20.66m.
The world indoor champion opened with 20.19m and then improved to her winning mark in the third round. World champion Jessica Schilder, who recently set a Diamond League record of 21.09m in Shanghai, finished second with 20.18m, while two-time world indoor champion Sarah Mitton was third with 19.47m. All three women threw beyond the previous meeting record.
Emmanouil Karalis became the first man to clear six metres at the Paavo Nurmi Games, winning the pole vault with 6.00m. The Greek vaulter had first-time clearances up to and including his winning height, before ending his competition with three unsuccessful attempts at 6.10m. KC Lightfoot was second with 5.72m.
There was also a meeting record in the women&rsquo;s pole vault, where New Zealand&rsquo;s Imogen Ayris cleared a PB of 4.81m. Ayris needed third-time clearances at both 4.71m and 4.81m, but emerged a comfortable winner from USA&rsquo;s Gabriela Leon (4.56m).
Monae&rsquo; Nichols took the women&rsquo;s long jump victory with a meeting record of 6.88m, moving into the lead in the fifth round after Britain&rsquo;s Jazmin Sawyers had set the standard. Sawyers finished second with a season&rsquo;s best of 6.62m.
The meeting records also fell in both steeplechase races. Morocco&rsquo;s Mohammed Tindoufti won the men&rsquo;s race in 8:11.52. Abraham Sime, who had set the previous record in 2022, also dipped inside that mark with 8:14.09 for second place.
The women&rsquo;s race was much closer. Ethiopia&rsquo;s Alemnet Wale won in 9:16.18, getting the better of USA&rsquo;s Gracie Hyde, who clocked a PB of 9:16.61. Finland&rsquo;s Ilona Mononen was third in a national record of 9:18.50.
The men&rsquo;s 1500m produced exceptional depth as the top 12 men all finished inside the previous meeting record. Spain&rsquo;s Mohamed Attaoui won in 3:31.82 ahead of Belgium&rsquo;s Ruben Verheyden (3:32.71) and USA&rsquo;s Sam Prakel (3:32.76).
<h2>Bremm and Ceh take distance and discus wins</h2>
Florian Bremm led a German 1-2 in the men&rsquo;s 5000m. He took the lead in the closing stages and went on to win in 12:56.80, finishing ahead of steeplechase specialist Frederik Ruppert, who clocked 12:57.61.
Ruppert&rsquo;s run made him just the fifth man in history to have broken both eight minutes for the 3000m steeplechase and 13 minutes for the 5000m.
Slovenia&rsquo;s 2022 world champion Kristjan Ceh continued his strong season in the men&rsquo;s discus, winning with 69.13m in a series that contained four throws that would have been good enough to win the competition.
Behind him, just 25cm separated the next three athletes. World champion Daniel Stahl was second with 67.40m, Matthew Denny third with 67.26m and Britain&rsquo;s Lawrence Okoye fourth with 67.15m.
In-form Ukrainian Yuliia Levchenko won the women&rsquo;s high jump with a third-time clearance at 1.97m, snatching victory from Jamaica&rsquo;s Lamara Distin, who had led up to that height.
Elsewhere, Britain&rsquo;s Romell Glave won the men&rsquo;s 100m in 10.16, while Gabriela DeBues-Stafford took the women&rsquo;s 1500m in 4:04.40, winning by a second. Rayniah Jones won the women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles in 12.60.

Olympic champion Camryn Rogers produced one of eight meeting records at the Paavo Nurmi Games

Rogers throws beyond 80 metres in Turku

US distance runner Sara Hall has been announced as an official ambassador for RUN X&trade;, joining world 10,000m champion Jimmy Gressier in promoting the first World Treadmill Championship.&nbsp;
Hall was present at the RUN X&trade; programme launch at Technogym Village in Cesena, Italy, earlier on Wednesday, where <a href="https://worldathletics.org/news/press-releases/run-x-registration-centres-world-treadmill-championship" target="_blank" rel="noopener">further details of the inaugural World Treadmill Championship were confirmed</a>.
One of the fastest US marathon runners in history, Hall has represented the United States across a wide range of surfaces and disciplines, including at the World Athletics Championships, World Cross Country Championships and World Indoor Championships. That versatility makes her a natural ambassador for RUN X&trade;, the new 5km competition designed to bring together elite athletes and everyday runners in a global virtual racing format.&nbsp;
Launched by Technogym and World Athletics, RUN X&trade; will allow runners around the world to compete on connected treadmills in affiliated fitness and sports centres, with results displayed via an online leaderboard. The competition will begin in October 2026 and culminate in a world final in March 2027. The competition will feature a US$100,000 prize pool, while World Athletics will also grant wild cards for the World Road Running Championships.
Hall and Gressier will work together as ambassadors for the new event, helping to showcase a format that combines elite-level competition with mass participation and gives runners around the world the chance to test themselves over the same distance, wherever they are.
Hall&rsquo;s career has taken her from the track and cross country to the roads, where she has achieved podium finishes at the London and Chicago marathons, placed fifth in the marathon at the 2022 World Championships in Oregon, and set a former US record of 1:07:15 for the half marathon.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always loved the simplicity of running: you line up, you test yourself, and you see what you can do,&rdquo; said Hall. &ldquo;RUN X&trade; takes that feeling and opens it up in a really exciting way. It gives people everywhere the chance to race, connect and push themselves, whether they&rsquo;re chasing a world final or just trying to get the best out of themselves on the day.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve raced on the track, on the roads, in cross country and in championship marathons, and every format asks something different of you. A 5km on a treadmill is another kind of challenge &ndash; it&rsquo;s honest, intense and really accessible. I love that it can bring elite athletes and recreational runners into the same global competition space.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Gressier, who won the world 10,000m title and 5000m bronze in Tokyo in 2025, said: &ldquo;RUN X&trade; is a great way to bring more people into competition and to make racing feel more accessible. Whether you are an elite athlete or someone running in your local gym, the challenge is the same: 5km, as fast as you can.&nbsp;
&ldquo;That is what makes this format exciting,&rdquo; added the French distance runner. &ldquo;Sara and I come from different running backgrounds, but we both know the value of testing yourself and trying to get the best from your body and your mind. RUN X&trade; can connect runners around the world through that shared challenge.&rdquo;&nbsp;
For more information, visit <a href="https://www.runx.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">runx.org</a>.
World Athletics&nbsp;

US distance runner Sara Hall has been announced as an official ambassador for RUN X™, joining world 10,000m champion Jimmy Gressier

Hall joins Gressier as RUN X™ ambassador 

The very best of the best will converge at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest in September with the aim of being named the inaugural ultimate champion. Already, rivalries have been taking shape in 2026 &ndash; some having been brewing for many years.&nbsp;
In the lead-up to the global gathering, we delve into some of the key head-to-heads. The final instalment of this four-part series &ndash; marking 100 days to go until the competition &ndash; focuses on the women&rsquo;s field events.
<h3>High jump</h3>
In a quest to recapture her best form, Yaroslava Mahuchikh returned to her war-torn country of Ukraine to train and she hit the competition jackpot almost immediately with gold at the World Indoor Championships.
The Olympic champion is getting back to top form &ndash; she cleared 2.03m to open her season in Lviv in January before winning gold in Toruń.
But there are no shortage of athletes vying to upset her as the champion of champions in Budapest, including the trio of women who shared world indoor silver in Toruń: her compatriot Yuliia Levchenko, Australia&rsquo;s world champion Nicola Olyslagers and Angelina Topić of Serbia, who shared bronze with Mahuchikh at last year&rsquo;s World Championships.
<h3>Triple jump</h3>
After last season and a thrilling climax to the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25, it&rsquo;s anyone&rsquo;s guess who will end this season as the queen of the triple jump.
Venezuela&rsquo;s world record-holder Yulimar Rojas has looked impressive early on in 2026 with a best of 14.95m, having endured a lengthy setback with her achilles since 2024. Speaking earlier this year, she said: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s true I&rsquo;ve been through a difficult chapter recovering from an injury. But my goals never stopped.&rdquo;
In her absence, the form athlete has been Leyanis Perez, who edged a captivating final in Tokyo with gold for Cuba as she soared to 14.94m, just five centimetres clear of Olympic champion Thea LaFond. All three have started the year in good form, although it was Perez who again came out on top in Toruń ahead of Rojas.
<h3>Long jump</h3>
Seven metres is perpetually the goal for the world&rsquo;s best long jumpers and Portugal&rsquo;s Agate de Sousa is no exception. Her best of 6.97m &ndash; set this season in Madrid &ndash; has edged her ever closer to that so far elusive mark and she has a world indoor title to her name from Poland in March.
But it&rsquo;s still some way shy of USA&rsquo;s Tara Davis-Woodhall, the Olympic and world champion who jumped 7.13m last year and has a PB of 7.18m from 2024.
Two athletes to already have surpassed De Sousa this season and cleared the seven-metre mark are Davis-Woodall's compatriots Alyssa Jones (a 7.09m set at the end of May) and Alexis Brown (with a 7.07m back in April).
There are plenty of other athletes in or around the seven-metre mark already this season: Larissa Iapichino, the silver medallist behind De Sousa at the World Indoors, plus bronze medal-winner Natalia Linares and Malaika Mihambo of Germany are among them.

With the battles hotting up leading to the World Athletics Ultimate Championship, the focus turns to the women's field events.

Tharp breaks world 110m hurdles record in Eugene

Lutkenhaus and Cheruiyot win brilliant battles in Oslo

Coaching class with Edrick Floreal

Tebogo set to take on Gout in Lausanne

Werro joins Broeders-Bol for 800m clash in Ostrava