Duplantis, Ingebrigtsen shine at World Athletics Ultimate Championship

What the report says

Armand “Mondo” Duplantis and Jakob Ingebrigtsen highlighted the opening day of the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, Hungary, on Friday, according to Al Jazeera’s report based on AFP coverage. Duplantis, the Swedish pole vault star and reigning world and Olympic champion, cleared 6.20 metres to win the men’s event, while Norway’s Ingebrigtsen returned to competition after an injury-hit spell to take the men’s 5,000 metres in 12:59.24.

The event is being staged as a season-ending showcase for top track and field athletes, with Al Jazeera noting that it brings together Olympic champions, world champions and Diamond League winners. The competition also features significant prize money, with winners in the two events taking home $150,000 each, part of a $10m total purse across 28 disciplines.

Other notable results on the first night included US athletes Masai Russell and Ja’Kobe Tharp winning the women’s 100m hurdles and men’s 110m hurdles, respectively, and the United States taking the mixed 4x100m relay. Germany’s Merlin Hummel won the men’s hammer throw, Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh claimed the women’s high jump, and Italy’s Larissa Iapichino finished first in the women’s long jump. The meet matters because it is a new, high-profile championship designed to close the athletics season with head-to-head finals among the sport’s best.