Inaugural World Ultimate Championship Preview

BUDAPEST — World Athletics introduced an innovative new format for 2026 with the advent of the World Ultimate Championship, a fast-paced three-day meet that offers 28 events designed to capture worldwide interest and grow the fanbase of the sport with exciting matchups featuring the top-ranked athletes no matter their national affiliation. Record-setting prize money is up for grabs, with $150,000 going to each event winner.
 
Here's a look at the events and the American stars who will be in the mix:
 
Men's 100
Six of the eight finalists from last year's World Championships are entered, with reigning world champ Oblique Seville of Jamaica the one to beat based on this year's form. Seville has a best of 9.82 this season and has seven races under 10 seconds. Commonwealth Games winner Emmanuel Eseme of Cameroon has blossomed late in his career and sports a 9.83 best at age 33. NCAA champ Kayinsola Ajayi of Nigeria has also had a breakout campaign and comes in with a 9.84 PB. Ronnie Baker and Kenny Bednarek went 2-3 at the USATF Championships in July, and Bednarek won the U.S. crown in 2025. He has a best of 9.87 in 2026, while Baker set his season best of 9.88 in taking silver at the USATF Championships. The 32-year-old has five wind-legal sub-10 outings and is a quick starter. 2019 world champion Christian Coleman and Trayvon Bromell are also contenders for a podium spot. The duo is tied for the No. 3 spot on the all-time U.S. performer list with PBs of 9.76, a time that ranks them equal seventh on the world all-time performer list.
 
Men's 200
Bednarek is doubling up in the sprints, and this is his best event. He has clobbered all challengers in the half-lap in 2026 while going 4-for-4 in Diamond League races. His best of 19.62 was set first at Zurich and then matched at the Diamond League final in Brussels, and he has a collection of four Olympic and World Championships silver medals. Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo of Botswana hasn't had a standout year but is always a threat with a 19.46 PB that ranks him fifth all-time. South Africa's Sinesipho Dambile took Commonwealth Games gold and zipped to a PB of 19.74 to win the Doha Diamond League meet. 2021 Olympic champ Andre De Grasse is always a contender for top honors and has run 19.84 this year. Other Americans include Brandon Hicklin, who is enjoying his best season ever and has run 19.92, along with Courtney Lindsey and Kyree King. Hicklin is fresh off a 20.20 win at Muscat last week.
 
Men's 400
One of the marquee races of the Championships features Botswana's rising star Collen Kebinatshipi, who has moved up to a tie for fifth on the world all-time list with his 43.40 PB to win the Diamond League final in Brussels. The 22-year-old reigning world champion has won six in a row coming in and cracked 44 seconds in five of those victories. Right behind him in the DL final was Trinidad's Jereem Richards, who was also the silver medalist at Tokyo in '25. Richards lowered his PB to 43.68 and shows no sign of slowing at age 32. Multitalented Rai Benjamin is attempting a difficult double here in the 400 and 400 hurdles, but it would be unwise to doubt him for either title. Benjamin, the Olympic champion over the barriers at Paris, has focused on the flat 400 this year and has dropped his PB to 43.83, with more in the tank. Jacory Patterson took over the No. 10 all-time U.S. performer spot with a 43.78 at the DL final and was the World Indoor bronze medalist last year. USATF champion Chris Bailey joined the sub-44 club at the DL final with a 43.97 clocking and was the gold medalist at the World Indoors last year. This year's World Indoor silver medalist, Khaleb McRae, has a PB of 43.91 and was the USATF runner-up in July.
 
Men's 800
Chatter about a world record in '26 hasn't produced material results... yet. With Kenya's reigning Olympic champ Emmanuel Wanyonyi on fire, though, anything is possible. Wanyonyi, the all-time equal No. 2 performer at 1:41.11, broke 1:42 in his last two races and won the DL title, and he added a world record 2:11.83 in the 1000 in July. Marco Arop of Canada is No. 4 on that list with a best of 1:41.20 and took silver at Paris. He was the 2023 world champion and earned bronze at Tokyo last year. Djamel Sedjati is the other all-time top 10 performer in the mix with a 1:41.46 PB that puts the Algerian at No. 5. U.S. hopes rest with Brandon Miller, who is having his best season yet, and former American record holder Donavan Brazier, the 2019 world champion. Miller has a 1:42.19 in '26 that ranks him fifth all-time among Americans, while Brazier's 1:42.16 puts him fourth.
 
Men's 1500
Another event with very high expectations with newly minted mile world record holder Josh Kerr of Britain getting a special invitation to compete. Kerr tops the entries with a 3:27.62 that was set en route to his historic 3:42.66 mile at London. He will go against Aussie youngster Cam Myers, who has run 3:28.00 this season, and reigning Olympic champ Cole Hocker. Hocker added the world 5,000 crown last year and was the 3000 silver medalist at the World Indoor Championships in March. American mile record holder Yared Nuguse will add intrigue as he is able to run off almost any pace, while Ethan Strand has been superb in his first season as a pro. Strand won the Silesia DL meet and was third in the DL final. Still only 23, Hobbs Kessler was fifth at Paris in '24 and has clocked 3:30.71 this year. In the category of maybe – Norway's 2021 Olympic gold medalist, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, is listed as an entrant but is nowhere near certain to compete. If he does, his recent comments about his competitors might spark some passion in the race.
 
Men's 5000
Ingebrigtsen is also entered in this, the longest race on the card, and he is the reigning Olympic champion. In his only race at the distance this year he took the European title in commanding fashion. Egide Ntakarutimana of Burundi is the fastest entrant based on 2026 times with a 12:46.73 and finished second at the DL final. Five Americans will toe the line, reinforcing the notion that the U.S. is now a distance power. World champ Cole Hocker can kick with the best of them if this comes down to a mad dash to the line, but so can Graham Blanks and Parker Wolfe. Blanks moved to No. 3 on the all-time U.S. performer list with his 12:47.98 at Brussels and all five of his '26 outings have gone sub-13:00. Wolfe dropped his PB to 12:49.45 at Oslo's DL meet and was  the 2024 NCAA champion. Grant Fisher holds the American indoor record with a 12:44.09 last year and was the bronze medalist in the 5000 and 10,000 at Paris in 2024. Outdoor American record holder Nico Young was sixth at Tokyo last year and holds the No. 2 all-time spot on the U.S. List with a 12:45.27 PB. He was sixth in the DL final last week.
 
Men's 110 Hurdles
Six of the 16 slots were taken by Americans in an event that is traditionally a U.S. stronghold. Topping the powerhouse crew is world record holder Ja'Kobe Tharp, who blitzed to a stunning 12.75 in the NCAA Championships to lop .05 off the previous WR. Reigning world champion Cordell Tinch grabbed the USATF title in New York City and has a best of 12.87, while Jamal Britt has emerged as a top-notch competitor during his "have spikes, will hurdle" season that has included 25 110H races thus far. Britt is fifth on the world and U.S. all-time performer lists at 12.86, a time that gave him the Prefontaine Classic victory. 2022 World Championships silver medalist Trey Cunningham joined the sub-13 club with a 12.98 win at the Rome DL meet in June and earned bronze in the 60H at the World Indoors in March. Samford's Bradley Franklin is another rising star who ran 13.00 to place second at the USATF Championships, and Jamar Marshall has been consistent over an extensive season, lowering his PB to 13.04. There are some other worthy challengers who aren't wearing the red, white and blue, but this should be a solid American party. Japan's Shunsuke Izumiya is the best of them with a 13.00 PB.
 
Men's 400 Hurdles
Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy... how much more can a fan ask for than the two most recent world record holders, the reigning Olympic and world champions, and a supporting cast of contenders. Brazil's Alison dos Santos shocked many when he galloped to a world record 45.80 at the Zurich DL meet. That demolished the previous WR of 45.94 that was set by Norway's Karsten Warholm at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo. Dos Santos added the DL title in Brussels and has to be the favorite here, but Warholm is never to be overlooked, even when he may not be quite at his best. The Norwegian has three world golds, and his top 10 average is just under 46.50. Who can spoil the party, you ask? How about Rai Benjamin, the reigning Olympic and world champion and American record holder. Benjamin won his only 400H race of 2026 with a 46.67 at Lausanne's DL meet and has cut his flat 400 PB to 43.83. That adds up to some danger for Dos Santos and Warholm. Should any of that threesome falter, which can happen when 10 pesky barriers stand in your way, another Brazilian may sneak into the frame. Matheus de Lima has improved to 47.26 this season and would love to be in the medals, as would former NCAA champ Nathaniel Ezekiel of Nigeria.
 
Men's High Jump
Any of the eight contestants could come away with the win in an event that hasn't exactly lit up the field this year. JuVaughn Harrison, the 2023 World Championships silver medalist, has the best entry mark at 2.34 and seems to be in a bit better form of late than his fourth place showing at the USATF Champs would indicate. He was the DL final runner-up to Mateusz Kolodziejski of Poland based on more misses at the winning height of 2.28. 2021 Olympic champ Gianmarco Tamberi is 34 but still has some spring in his legs, while Oleh Doroshchuk of Ukraine took gold at the World Indoor Championships in March and has gone 2.34 in his career. Czechia's Jan Stefela earned bronze at Tokyo last summer and sports a 2.32 indoor best this year.
 
Men's Pole Vault
The top two men in history meet again as world record holder Mondo Duplantis of Sweden takes on his new rival, Emmanouil Karalis of Greece. Duplantis has had a stranglehold on the event since 2021, winning two Olympics, three World Championships, and four World Indoor titles, but Karalis has started to chip away at the king's previously invincible armor. The Swedish hero has a top 10 average of 6.27, seven centimeters better  than the single top vault by Karalis, but the Greek hope has steadily improved and won the DL final after Duplantis withdrew citing injury. Three other entrants have gone 6.00 or higher in 2026, with Norway's Sondre Guttormsen the best at 6.06 indoors. Zach Bradford is the newest American in the six meter club with an indoor 6.01 clearance, and Australia's Kurt Marschall has gone over 6.00 in '26. USATF champ Chris Nilsen has a PB of 6.05 and holds the American indoor record, and Sam Kendricks is a two-time pre-Mondo world champ who has a best of 6.06 in his career.
 
Men's Long Jump
Speaking of Greeks, Miltiadis Tentoglou is the reigning Olympic champion and leads the world list with his 8.66 that earned him his national championship again. Tentoglou took the European gold and a trio of DL meet victories but lost the DL final to Jamaica's Tajay Gayle. Gayle used a season best leap of 8.46 to secure that honor and added it to his world title from 2019, silver from last year, and bronze from 2023. Decathlon world leader Simon Ehammer of Switzerland is pretty handy in this event, too, and has a best of 8.51 that scored him massive points at the Götzis multis meet. Ehammer earned silver at the Euro Champs. Relative newcomer Bozhidar Saraboyukov of Bulgaria is incredibly talented across the array of jumping events and was fifth at Tokyo last year. He has spanned 8.49 so far in 2026. No Americans are entered.
 
Men's Hammer
This will be of particular rooting interest for local fans with the 2026 list leader, Bence Halasz, entering as the best hope for Hungarian triumph. Halasz is a three-time World Championships bronze medalist and took Olympic silver at Paris. He added more than a meter to his previous PB with an 84.25 to win the European title and move to 10th on the all-time world list. Here he must overcome reigning Olympic and world champion Ethan Katzberg of Canada, who is No. 5 on that list with a best of 84.70. Ukraine's Mykhaylo Kokhan earned bronze at Paris in 2024 and at this year's European Championships, while Poland's Pawel Fajdek is a five-time world champion in the twilight of his career at age 37. American record holder Rudy Winkler has a PB of 83.16 but needs to add a couple of meters to his season best to approach that level here.
 
Men's Javelin
Sri Lanka's Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage has been the revelation of 2026 in this event, leading the world list at 92.62 and winning the Commonwealth Games and DL final among his 11 victories in 12 starts. Pathirage jumped to No. 8 on the all-time world performer list and has a 92.07 from the Zürich DL to his credit. European champ Julian Weber of Germany went out to 90.40 for that title and is the closest challenger to Pathirage on paper. Curtis Thompson won the USATF title and is the top American of late but has struggled in his most recent  outings. If he regains the form that saw him hit 87+ meters earlier this year he will contend for the podium. Two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada and 2025 world champ Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad are eminently capable of victory and 90-meter tosses but reigning Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan is a shadow of the athlete who was so impressive in Paris. Nadeem's best 2026 mark is 78.63, and he was only ninth at the Commonwealth Games.
 
Women's 100
In the last matchup of the Olympic champion and the reigning world champion, St. Lucia's Julien Alfred won by the narrowest of margins, taking a .005 victory over Melissa Jefferson-Wooden as both women clocked 10.70 at the Zürich DL meet. Alfred, who won at Paris in 2024, set a national record with her time, but if the race had been 100.2 meters, it is likely that Jefferson-Wooden would have come out ahead given her closing speed. Jefferson-Wooden is the fourth fastest woman ever with a 10.61 PB. When those two meet up here, they will have plenty of push from a cast of talented challengers that includes 2023 world champion and this year's USATF winner, Sha'Carri Richardson, and Jamaica's Tina Clayton, the DL final winner who has a best of 10.85 in '26. Richardson is another one of history's fastest women and her 10.65 PB from 2023 isn't far out of reach. Others who will likely figure in the finish include Britain's Amy Hunt,  the DL final runner-up, and Commonwealth Games winner Zoe Hobbs of New Zealand.
 
Women's 200
Four U.S. women sit atop the entry list, with reigning world champion Jefferson-Wooden the best of 'em at 21.69 this year. She ran that to win the USATF title in July and has had a very brief campaign in 2026. Right on her heels is Olympic champ Gabby Thomas. Thomas has five meets with sub-22 performances this season, the fastest being a 21.70 at College Station in early June. She is the second fastest American ever at 21.60, while Jefferson-Wooden is No. 4 on that list at 21.68. They have met four times in their careers and are tied with two wins each. Kayla White has been very effective in her half-lap races thus far, including a 21.92 PB on this Budapest track in July. She won the Lausanne DL meet and was second in the DL final. USATF runner-up Cambrea Sturgis set her PB of 21.93 at Nairobi in April and is at the end of a long season that will test her form. Anavia Battle and Jenna Prandini are the other Americans in the field. Among the non-U.S. contenders are Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in the 400 who is still hovering around 22.0 at age 32, and Hunt, who was third in the DL final.
 
Women's 400
Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic is undefeated over one lap this year and has been quite dominant in her eight finals. Paulino is the third fastest woman ever with a 47.98 PB and has seven times dipped under 49 this year. Bahrain's Salwa Eid Naser is No. 5 on the all-time performer list with a 48.14 PB, but she hasn't sniffed that in '26. Eid Naser has raced only four times this year at 400 meters and has a best of 49.27. Petite but powerful, Aaliyah Butler won the USATF gold and has a best of 48.84 that ranks her No. 4 all-time on the U.S. list. Butler has seven races sub-50 so far and owns 4x400 relay golds from Paris and Tokyo. Norway's Henriette Jaeger powered to the European title in a national record 49.04 last month and seems to just get faster and faster. Natalia Bukowiecka of Poland is not quite at peak form, but her 48.90 PB puts her in with a chance every time she lines up, and Nickisha Pryce of Jamaica is also solid with a best of 48.57 in her career. The other U.S. entrant is Alexis Holmes, an ace relay runner who also placed sixth at Paris.
 
Women's 800
When will the venerable world record of 1:53.28 fall by the wayside? That's the question that has yet to be answered, but not for a lack of trying by Audrey Werro of Switzerland and Britain's Keely Hodgkinson. Werro has had the hot hand of late and is No. 3 all-time with her 1:53.70 PB. Undefeated outdoors in 2026, she has gone sub-1:54 three times and won the European title before taking the DL final crown. Hodgkinson, who was tipped as the surest bet to take down Jarmila Kratochvilova's WR, won the Olympic title in Paris and added World Indoor gold in March. She set her PB of 1:54.33 in June at Stockholm but has been slightly off her best since then due to nagging hamstring issues. She was the silver medalist at the European Championships in front of a home crowd, so would love to get back in the groove here. The one who might just upset the apple cart is former 400 hurdler Femke Broeders-Bol. Broeders-Bol transitioned to the 800 this year and has shown remarkable improvement on the way to the No. 9 all-time performer spot with a 1:54.71 at the Zürich DL. She came oh-so-close to beating Werro in the DL final, it seems just a matter of time before she collects her first global gold. A trio of American hopefuls comprised of Roisin Willis, Addy Wiley, and Raevyn Rogers, will be chasing sub-1:57 clockings to be in the mix with the medalists. Willis set her PB of 1:57.56 at the Stockholm DL, while Rogers (1:56.81) and Wiley (1:56.83) have picked up world hardware in the past. Wiley was the bronze medalist at this year's World Indoor Championships, and Rogers was the 2021 Olympic bronze medalist.
 
Women's 1500
Australia's Jess Hull has medals from the Olympics and World Championships in the past two seasons and is by far the fastest woman in the field with a 3:50.83 PB that puts her fourth on the all-time performer list. She will need to tap that deep vein of speed to stave off fast-improving Klaudia Kazimierska of Poland, the DL final winner in a lifetime best of 3:54.05. Kazimierska has a relentless long kick that is difficult to overcome, though Kenya's Dorcus Ewoi came close in Brussels, notching a PB of 3:54.72 in second. Ewoi was the Tokyo silver medalist last year. World Indoor champion Georgia Hunter Bell of Britain was the Paris bronze medalist in a PB 3:52.61 and won the European title last month. She has great 800 speed and could come away with the gold. Another very dangerous finisher is American Nikki Hiltz. Hiltz has won 10 USATF titles indoors and outdoors, including the double this year, and has the second fastest time ever by an American at 3:55.33. Hiltz earned bronze at the World Indoors this year and silver in 2024. Emily Mackay is the World Indoor 3000 silver medalist in 2026 and has a 1500 season best of 3:56.24. Her 3:55.90 PB ranks her third all-time in the U.S., and she captured the USATF 5000 gold in July.
 
Women's 5000
None of the medalists from the most recent Olympics or World Championships are entered, leaving this one wide open. Diamond League final winner Freweyni Hailu of Ethiopia is the best of her country's six entrants, and the top three have season bests in the 14:18s. Depending on how the early pace plays out, this could be over pretty quickly if it becomes an internecine contest between the six, or if a slow tempo opens it up to speedy finishers. Australia's Rose Davies was the highest finishing non-Ethiopian in the DL final, taking fourth, and former American record holder Shelby Houlihan will try and summon up the past form that carried her to that 14:23.92 AR to get in the mix.
 
Women's 100 Hurdles
Undefeated in an event that tends to take down sure things in the blink of a barrier, Masai Russell has had a storybook season in 2026. The reigning Olympic champion sped to an American record 12.14 to win the Xiamen DL meet in May and hasn't slowed down at all as she grabbed the world record with a scintillating 12.09 at the Zürich DL meet in late August. Russell has recorded four of  the top 10 all-time world and U.S. performances so far in 2026 and took the DL final in 12.20. The woman whose WR she snagged, Tobi Amusan of Nigeria, is no slouch this year with four sub-12.3 clockings and a season best of 12.23, but she will need to be perfect to take down Russell. Keni Harrison is a former world record holder who is still at the top of her game at age 33, and Alaysha Johnson was seventh at the Paris Olympic Games. Alia Armstrong added 100H USATF gold to the indoor 60H gold she won in February, and Rayniah Jones has had her best year yet with a lengthy European campaign that yielded a 12.43 PB in June. Others who will contend include Devynne Charlton of the Bahamas and Nadine Visser of the Netherlands. Charlton has won three World Indoor 60H in a row and boasts a 100H  PB of 12.33, while Visser just missed a medal in Paris before capturing European gold earlier this summer. She has a 12.28 PB.
 
Women's 400 Hurdles
Slovakia's Emma Zapletalova, the Tokyo bronze medalist in '25, was the find of the year after taking victories in the first four DL meets and lowering her national record to 52.30 to take the No. 6 spot on the world all-time list. A bad outing in Zagreb halted that roll, but she picked back up with European gold and a win at the Lausanne DL meet. Then along came a rapidly improving Anna Cockrell. Cockrell, the USATF champion and a silver medalist at Paris in 2024, romped to a 52.13 world lead at Zürich, taking advantage of a Zapletalova stumble that left her sixth. The American added the DL final title to her résumé and now looks like the one to beat here. Former world record holder and two-time Olympic and world champion Dalilah Muhammad is still rolling along at a high speed at age 36 with a 53.16 season best and a 51.58 PB. Tokyo silver medalist Jasmine Jones is No. 5 all-time with a 52.08 PB and a best of 52.91 this season. Twice a World Championships bronze medalist, Jamaica's Rushell Clayton has run consistently in the 53s this year and will be in the hunt for a podium spot. With a World Indoor 4x400 gold to her credit in 2026, Shamier Little is still a force in the 400H. She has a PB of 52.39 and has run 54.15 for a season best.
 
Women's High Jump
All the medalists from the Olympics and 2025 World Championships are scheduled to compete, offering a prime display of jumping excellence. World record holder Yaroslava Mahuchikh of Ukraine took gold at Paris and bronze at Tokyo, helping her tally of 10 global medals to date. She won the World Indoors in March and the European title last month and has an outdoor season best of 2.01 to go with the 2.03 she cleared indoors in January. Australia's Nicola Olyslagers was the Tokyo gold medalist and Paris silver medalist and has seven global medals of her own. Olyslagers has cleared 2.04 in her career and is a terminally joyful competitor with mad hops. Poland's Maria Zodzik finished as runner-up at Tokyo and earned European silver last month. She has a best of 2.00. Olympic bronze medalists Eleanor Patterson of Australia and Iryna Gerashchenko of Ukraine also offer string competition. Patterson took gold at the 2022 World Championships with her PB of 2.02, and Gerashchenko has gone over 2.00. 21-year-old Angelina Topic of Serbia tied for Tokyo bronze and has cleared 2.00. No Americans are entered.
 
Women's Pole Vault
Wunderkind Hana Moll leads a group of four elite American vaulters who comprise half the field. Moll, who is still competing for the University of Washington, won the DL final with a 4.91 that elevated her to equal ninth on the all-time world list and a tie with twin sister Amanda for No. 4 on the U.S. all-time list. She has three Diamond League wins on her scorecard in 2026. Sandi Morris is the No. 2 all-time American and one of only four women in the five meter club with a 5.00 PB. She has 10 USATF crowns indoors and outdoors, including the most recent outdoor title. Reigning world champ Katie Moon was the silver medalist at Paris in 2024 after gold at Tokyo in 2021 and has cleared a best of 4.95 that makes her No. 5 on the world all-time list. Two-time European champion Angelica Moser of Switzerland has a pair of World Indoors bronzes and a 4.88 PB, and evergreen Tina Sutej of Slovenia is 37 and making high bars in a career that includes World Championships bronze last year. Emily Grove is a veteran U.S. competitor with a 4.75 PB.
 
Women's Long Jump
No Olympic or World Championships medalists from Paris or Tokyo made the field, but that doesn't mean it is bereft of talent or interest. Italy's Larissa Iapichino just missed the Paris podium with a fourth  place finish and she earned World Indoor silver in March before claiming the European title last month. Iapichino has a best of 7.12 from her runner-up finish at this year's Pre Classic in Eugene. USATF champion Alyssa Jones has made a major move up in 2026, winning the NCAA crown for Stanford and then the U.S. gold, upping her PB to 7.09 along the way. Diamond League final winner Monae' Nichols was the USATF silver medalist in July and was sixth at the Paris Games. She took silver at the 2024 World Indoors and has a wind-legal PB of 6.97. Last year's World Indoors champ, Claire Bryant, was fifth at Tokyo and has gone 6.96. Reigning World Indoor champion Agate De Sousa of Portugal is a threat with a 7.03 PB and a best of 7.00 this year.
 
Women's Triple Jump
Olympic champion Thea LaFond of Dominica and world champion Leyanis Perez of Cuba top the field as far as honors go, but they will be pushed to the max by Senegal's Saly Sarr and Davisleidis Velazco of Cuba. LaFond also earned silver at Tokyo and was the 2024 World Indoor gold medalist, and she improved her PB to 15.25 in June  to move to a tie for ninth on the world all-time list. Perez stretched her PB to 15.06 to win the Monaco DL meet and is the two-time defending World Indoor champion. Bounding 15.13 to win the Doha DL meet in June, Velazco joined the 15m club and stamped herself as a medal contender on the global stage. Diamond League final champion Sarr is a precocious talent at age 23, bringing in a PB of 15.08 that won her the Silesia DL meet. No Americans are entered.
 
Women's Javelin
It begins and ends with China's wildly talented youngster Ziyi Yan. Yan has taken the spear world by storm in the past three years as she has rewritten the U20 record book and now progressed to the top of the senior lists. Still only 18, Yan launched an incredible 71.74 at the Xiamen DL meet in May to become the second best woman ever behind only world record holder Barbora Spotakova of Czechia. She is undefeated in six meets this year and is an odds-on favorite to collect the big prize here. Olympic champ Haruka Kitaguchi of Japan is not a pushover by any means, but her 67.38 PB came three years ago. Colombia's Flor Dennis Ruiz is another 67m thrower with a 67.34 PB set in winning the Central American Games last month. Tokyo silver and bronze medalists Anete Sietina of Latvia and Mackenzie Little of Australia will scrap with Serbia's Adriana Vilagos for podium spots. No Americans are entered.
 
USA Track & Field is partnering with CITIUS MAG, a leading track and field digital media company, on content beyond the field of play at the World Athletics Ultimate Championships. CITIUS MAG will produce podcast and video interviews with athletes that will be distributed across both CITIUS MAG's and USATF's channels, and its team of photographers will share championship photo content for use across USATF platforms. The two organizations will also work together on social content extending beyond the championships. USATF provides athlete access and distribution with CITIUS MAG aiding in content production.