Day 2 of the World Athletics Ultimate Championship 2026 is full of intrigue, such as the 100m finals & the women's 800m. Read our full preview of Saturday.
This athletics' summer is finally coming to a close, but it's saved it's best for last with the World Athletics Ultimate Championship 2026 in Budapest. This is the first time the event takes place ever, and athletes across the globe are vying for the chance to be remembered as "Ultimate Champions".
All the best athletes will be participating in each event, as invites have been handed out to reigning world- Olympic- and Diamond League Champions. Home nation Hungary also has quite a few wild card entries, while some other notable athletes have also received special wild cards which allow them to participate.
You can find all of the participants at the games here:
World Athletics Ultimate Championship - All athletes.
Etusuora has previewed every single event on Saturday below.
Women's 400 meters, at 17.08
The Favourite:
Marileidy Paulino, Dominican republic
Top Challenger:
Salwa Eid Naser, Bahrain
Paulino has been on a level of her own all summer, and even in the final race of the season there seems to be no worthy challengers. Famous for her excellent finishes across the season, the reigning Olympic champion has consistently gone under 49 seconds, with at least a SB surely the goal at the Ultimate Championship.
Bahrain's Eid Naser has been racing very rarely this season, but she's definitely got the potential to achieve some great times. So far her best this season has been a 49.27 at the end of August. Norway's Henriette Jaeger is the European challenger in the mix, going 49.04 to achieve both a national record and a gold medal at the European Championships.
Also check out: World Athletics Ultimate Championship Medal Table
Women's javelin throw, at 17.13
The Favourite:
Ziyi Yan, China
Top Challenger:
Flor Denis Ruiz Hurtado, Columbia
China's Yan is aged just 18, but she's still been the dominant force in the women's javelin throw this season. The youngster has only competed in six races this season, but even her worst result in these events is a terrifying 65,25. Six competitions - six wins - it would be a shock if anyone could challenge her in Budapest.
The level in the women's javelin this year hasn't been the best, and even in the Diamond League throws of barely over 60 meters have been enough for some high placements. Columbia's Ruiz Hurtado and Serbia's
Adriana Vilagos have gone over 65 meters on their day, but on average their results have been significantly worse.
Men's 400 meters, at 17.18
The Favourite:
Busang Collen Kebinatshipi, Botswana
Top Challenger:
Jereem Richards, Trininad & Tobago
Wayde van Niekerk's world record of 43.03 from the summer of 2016 has long felt impossible to be bettered, but a new challenger is rising to the occasion. Botswana's Kebinatshipi is just 22-years old, but stopped the clock at 43,40 at Brussels. The super-starlet from Africa can already boast being a world champion, and he's got six wins from six races this season.
Richards of Trinidad and Tobago ran at spectacular speed up to the 300m mark in Brussels, but sadly couldn't keep it going to the finish line. Perhaps the most interesting sub-44-second runner in the field is
Raj Benjamin, who is better known for the 400m hurdles.
Women's pole vault, at 17.43
The Favourite:
Hana Moll, United States
Top Challenger:
Angelica Moser, Switzerland
The battle to be Ultimate Champion in the women's pole vault is likely to be a duel between Moll and Moser. The 21-year old American has risen to the top of her sport like a rocket, and this will be her first chance for a major victory.
Moser won gold at the European Championships recently, and she's definitely in the running as well. Sandi Morris has won a big share of the major competition golds over the last decade, but after her early season leap of 490 her results have been declining.
Women's 1500 meters, at 18.36
The Favourite:
Jessica Hull, Australia
Top Challenger:
Klaudia Kazimierska, Poland
Kazimierska shocked everyone to take the finish line first at the Diamond League finals, elevating herself to being a potential champion here as well. The Pole has been particularly strong at the ends of races, and the recent European silver medalist could be a real challenger for the gold if the race goes at a slow pacee.
Australia's Hull has far more major final experience, so she'll have a slight advantage in Budapest. Kenya's
Dorcus Ewoi comes in between the duo in this season's results, and she also has all it takes to mount a strong case for the win - all three women can be found within the same second this year.
Men's long jump, at 18.44
The Favourite:
Miltiadis Tentoglou, Greece
Top Challenger:
Simon Ehammer, Switzerland
Miltiadis Tentoglou has won all there is to win in the men's long jump across a long and storied career, and now the Greek superstar is looking to add the title of Ultimate Champion to his already impressive cv. Tentoglou has been in strong form all season, and he's managed to get the better of his main competitor's when the going gets tough, most recently at the European Championships.
Switzerland's Ehammer has focused mainly on the long jump this season with some great results, and his SB of 851 in a decathlon meeting in Götzis is only 15 centimeters away from Tentoglou's world leading result. The competition is bound to be good, as all eight jumpers have gone over 820 this summer.
Women's 800 meters, at 19.18
The Favourite:
Audrey Werro, Switzerland
Top Challenger:
Femke Broeders-Bol, The Netherlands
The women's 800 meters has been offered crowd's amazing times, drama and top quality competition across the whole season. Switzerland's Werro has held the crown since taking victory in Stockholm's Diamond League and hasn't looked back. Brit
Keely Hodgkinson has suffered with plenty of small niggles across the season, and a bit surprisingly it's now former 400m hurdler Broeders-Bol who's the biggest threat to the Swiss powerhouse.
Werro's advantage over her Dutch competitor has been shrinking race by race, but she's still head and shoulders above anyone going into Budapest. However, talks of a challenge on
Jarmila Kratochvílová's world record don't seem realistic at the moment despite early-season hopes amidst Werro's improving form.
Women's 100 meters, at 19.38
The Favourite:
Julien Alfred, Saint Lucia
Top Challenger:
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, United States
The women's 100 meters promises to be a titanic tussle, as the title of Ultimate Champion will likely be a battle between Alfred and Jefferson-Wooden. The American track star has been on top of things across the season, but in Zurich Alfred managed to take a surprise win by just a couple of thousandths of a second.
The duo's head-to-heads have been a rare occurence this year, so if both manage to make the final you should savour the moment. Jamaica's
Tina Clayton can't be counted out however, as she recently managed to snag 1st place at the Diamond League finals.
Men's 100 meters, at 19.49
The Favourite:
Oblique Seville, Jamaica
Top Challenger:
Emmanuel Eseme, Cameroon
One of the biggest showmen in athletics will be sorely missed in the men's 100 meters, as Noah Lyles of the United States is forced to miss the Ultimate Championship due to injury. Luckily there's plenty of quality to still provide the Budapest crowd with entertainment. Jamaica's Seville has gone undefeated in his last three starts, earning him the title of favourite on Saturday night.
His closest challenger on paper is Cameroon's Eseme, who has managed to better his country's national record to 9,83 this season. A staggering 37 races this season has seen the Cameroonian cement himself as a sub-10-second runner. 2021 Olympic Champion
Lamont Marcell Jacobs and USA's sprint stars
Christian Coleman and
Trayvon Bromell will also be looking to make their mark in Budapest.
