The High-Fliers' Show

Duplantis Falls Short of a New World Record Height!

Mondo Duplantis(Bild: AP/Matthias Schrader)

A sensational duel between the pole vaulters capped off the first day of the inaugural Ultimate Championship in Budapest! World record holder Mondo Duplantis prevailed at the track and field event—with a total purse of $10 million—only after a dramatic battle against his Greek rival Manolo Karalis (6.15 m), clearing 6.20 m. The Swede failed three times at the new world record height of 6.32 m ...

Like all the winners that evening, Duplantis—who had sat out the Diamond League final in Brussels the previous week due to injury—pocketed the record sum of $150,000. Karalis, who finished second, was also handsomely rewarded with $75,000 (for track and field).

In front of 20,557 spectators (the arena was not sold out), the world record holders also prevailed in both hurdle sprints. Ja’Kobe Tharp won the 110-meter hurdles in 12.94, ahead of his American compatriot Cordell Tinch (12.95). In the women’s event, Masai Russell won the 100-meter hurdles in 12.22.

Ingebrigtsen Unstoppable
With a tremendous sprint over the final 100 meters, Jakob Ingebrigtsen left the competition far behind in the 5,000 meters with a time of 12:59.24, winning ahead of Americans Cole Hocker (13:00.05) and Parker Wolfe (13:00.13).

The Norwegian, who had called his opponents “cowards” during the Diamond League final in Brussels, thus claimed his second major title of the season following his European Championship gold in Birmingham, after having been sidelined for a year since the 2025 World Championships due to injuries and illness. But Budapest is a lucky venue for him anyway; three years ago, he won gold (5,000 m) and silver (1,500 m) here at the World Championships.

Yaroslava Mahuchikh “Proud”
After three consecutive losses, world record holder in the high jump Yaroslava Mahuchikh was back on top just in time. “I’m overjoyed and proud to be the first female champion of these new championships,” said the Ukrainian, after becoming the only athlete to clear 1.99 m and thus winning the competition ahead of Australia’s Nicola Olyslagers. The world champion took second place with a jump of 1.95.

 ’s Hopes for a Home Victory Were Not FulfilledIn the hammer throw, the high expectations for a home victory were not met. Bence Halász, this year’s European champion in Birmingham with a magnificent 84.25 m, finished in second place with a throw of 80.30 m achieved on his first attempt. He was defeated by 24-year-old German Merin Hummel, who dominated the competition with two strong throws of 81.44 and 81.46 meters and pocketed the hefty prize of $75,000.

Olympic champion Ethan Katzberg was eliminated after just two rounds with two invalid attempts. This made him the first “victim” of the controversial rule in some of the technical events in Budapest, where—due to time constraints—only four rounds are held instead of the usual six, and two of the eight finalists are eliminated as early as the first round…

In the relay, the world record was on the line
The best chance for a world record on Day 1 came right in the first event of the new championship. The U.S. won the mixed 4 x 100-meter relay in 39.64 seconds, missing the record—set by Jamaica this year at the World Relays in Gaborone (39.64)—by two hundredths of a second.

All Set for the 800-Meter Showdown
In the women’s 800 meters, everything is set for Saturday’s highly anticipated final! The top three contenders over the two laps of the track (Audrey Werro, Keely Hodgkinson, and Femke Broeders-Bol) easily advanced through their semifinals. Hodgkinson won the first semifinal in 1:57.27, while Werro prevailed in the second semifinal in 1:59.05 ahead of Broeders-Bol (1:59.19). The women’s 800-meter race as the highlight of this championship…

The black track
And of all the innovations that were announced, which ones were actually visible in the stadium and at home on TV? Above all, the track, which had been painted black, making the red running lane stand out more clearly. A final verdict on the new event can’t be reached until Sunday…