Story perspectives

Duplantis Wins Budapest Ultimate Championship, Takes $150,000

By Drooid · Sep 12, 2026, 10:24 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

World Athletics staged the inaugural Ultimate Championship in Budapest with a $10 million prize pool and $150,000 for each winner.
Armand Duplantis won men’s pole vault with a 6.20 m clearance, earning $150,000.
United States mixed 4×100 m relay team won opening night in 39.64 s, sharing $80,000.
All finalists earned prize money, with eighth-place finishers receiving $10,000 under the “every athlete wins” policy.

History

Historical Context

The IAAF launched the Golden League in 1998 with a $1 million jackpot for athletes who won every meeting; by 2006 the prize split into $250,000 for five wins and $750,000 for six, and the series was replaced by the Diamond League in 2010. World Athletics echoes that legacy at the Budapest Ultimate Championship, awarding $150,000 to pole-vault champion Armand Duplantis and $80,000 to the U.S. relay squad.

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Story summary

World Athletics staged the inaugural Ultimate Championship in Budapest with a $10 million prize pool and $150,000 for each winner.
Armand Duplantis won men’s pole vault with a 6.20 m clearance, earning $150,000.
United States mixed 4×100 m relay team won opening night in 39.64 s, sharing $80,000.
All finalists earned prize money, with eighth-place finishers receiving $10,000 under the “every athlete wins” policy.

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