Armand Duplantis and Jakob Ingebrigtsen Claim Victory on Opening Day of World Athletics Ultimate Championship

Sweden's Armand Duplantis celebrated with the trophy after his victory in the men's pole vault final during the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, Hungary. Seasoned Scandinavian campaigners Armand “Mondo” Duplantis and Jakob Ingebrigtsen shone brightly on the opening day of this inaugural event on Friday.

With unmatched prize money totalling $10m on offer across 28 disciplines, Duplantis and Ingebrigtsen secured $150,000 each for winning the men’s pole vault and 5,000 metres, respectively. Pitched as a season-ending championship bringing together the best of the best—including 26 Olympic champions from the 2024 Paris Games, 26 world champions from Tokyo, and 25 Diamond League winners from the 2026 season—the opening eight finals fully lived up to the hype.

United States-born Swede Duplantis cleared 6.20 metres to claim victory ahead of Greek rival Emmanouil Karalis. Meanwhile, Norway’s Ingebrigtsen continued his successful comeback from injury with a stunning win in the 5,000 metres, clocking 12:59.24 to go sub-13 minutes for just the second time in his career.

“It was a really fun competition tonight. It was a little bit chilly, but I had a great time,” expressed Duplantis. Olympic champion Ingebrigtsen, who is also slated to race the 1,500 metres, delivered a devastating sprint down the home straight to overcome world champion Cole Hocker of the US, who finished in 13:00.05.

“I haven’t run too many 5,000-metre races this season, but it’s always good to be back competing,” said Ingebrigtsen, reflecting on his return following Achilles surgery that followed his fourth successive European 5,000-metre title in Birmingham.

In hurdle events, world record holders Masai Russell and Ja’Kobe Tharp secured victories. Russell recovered from a sluggish start to win the 100-metre hurdles in 12.22s, ahead of Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan at 12.34s. US teammate Tharp edged world champion Cordell Tinch by a hundredth of a second to win the 110-metre hurdles in 12.94s.

The first title of the evening went to the United States in the 4×100-metre mixed relay, where the quartet of Ronnie Baker, Anavia Battle, Courtney Lindsey, and Kayla White clocked 39.64s to defeat world record holders Jamaica and Britain.

Germany’s Merlin Hummel emerged as the surprise winner in the men's hammer throw with an 81.46-metre effort, defeating Hungary’s Bence Halasz. Canada's Ethan Katzberg unfortunately missed the podium after early no-marks led to elimination.

In the women's high jump, Ukraine's Yaroslava Mahuchikh cleared 1.99 metres to defeat Australia's Nicola Olyslagers, while Italy’s Larissa Iapichino triumphed in the women's long jump with a 6.90-metre leap.