THE world’s best track and field stars will compete for the richest prize pot in the sport’s history when a new global championship gets underway.
The inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship takes place in Budapest, Hungary, from September 11 to 13.
Keely Hodgkinson will be competing in Budapest Credit: Reuters
Hungarian sprint runner Boglarka Takacs (R) and hammer thrower Bence Halasz posing for a promo pic Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
The Championship has the biggest prize pot in athletics Credit: Getty
Olympic champions, world champions, Diamond League winners and the year’s top performers are among those going head-to-head.
And there is plenty of cash at stake, with World Athletics putting up a record £7.4million ($10million) prize pot.
Sign up for the Sport newsletter
Thank you!
Every athlete who competes will receive a payout, while individual winners will pocket six-figure sums.
How much is the World Athletics Ultimate Championship prize money?
World Athletics lists the official prize money in US dollars, with the pound figures below based on current exchange rates.
KEEL OVER
Team GB hero Keely Hodgkinson pulls out of another race amid fitness concerns
‘VERY SCARY’
Olympic champion ‘lucky to be alive’ after terrifying car crash
Each individual event winner will receive £111,000 ($150,000) — almost four times the £29,600 ($40,000) awarded to winners at this year’s World Athletics Indoor Championships, and more than double the £51,800 ($70,000) awarded to individual champions at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
There are 26 individual events – 13 each for men and women – alongside the mixed 4x100m and mixed 4x400m relays.
The winning team in each relay will share £59,200 ($80,000).
World Athletics says the overall fund is the largest ever offered at a single track and field event.
The full individual prize-money breakdown is:
1st: £111,000 ($150,000)
2nd: £55,500 ($75,000)
3rd: £29,600 ($40,000)
4th: £18,500 ($25,000)
5th: £11,800 ($16,000)
6th: £10,400 ($14,000)
7th: £8,900 ($12,000)
8th: £7,400 ($10,000)
9th: £6,700 ($9,000)
10th: £5,900 ($8,000)
11th: £5,200 ($7,000)
12th: £4,400 ($6,000)
13th: £3,700 ($5,000)
14th: £3,000 ($4,000)
15th: £2,200 ($3,000)
16th: £1,500 ($2,000)
While relay prize money shared between the team is as follows:
1st: £59,200 ($80,000)
2nd: £29,600 ($40,000)
3rd: £17,800 ($24,000)
4th: £14,800 ($20,000)
5th: £11,800 ($16,000)
6th: £10,400 ($14,000)
7th: £7,400 ($10,000)
8th: £5,900 ($8,000)
Do athletes win medals at the Ultimate Championship?
There will be no traditional gold, silver or bronze medals in Budapest.
Instead, every athlete receives a personalised bracelet, while each event winner collects a specially designed trophy which connects with it.
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said: “This global championship is all about striving to be the one athlete who comes out on top.
“Distributing awards for the top three didn’t feel true to that foundational concept, so we are instead focused on the trophies given to the winners of each discipline.”
What is the World Athletics Ultimate Championship?
The Ultimate Championship is a new biennial event designed to bring many of athletics’ biggest stars together at the end of the outdoor season.
Budapest will host 28 events across three evening sessions at the National Athletics Centre.
Paris 2024 Olympic champions and 2025 world champions have automatic invitations, as do eligible winners of the 2026 Diamond League Final.
Other places are filled through world rankings, with exceptional invitations also available.
Most track events from 100m to 800m and the hurdles begin with semi-finals, while the 1500m, 5000m, relays and all field events go straight to the final.
And with £111,000 ($150,000) waiting for each individual champion, victory comes with far more than bragging rights.
