"VAN" (Sports Desk - 12.09.2026) :: The first eight champions were crowned on a thrilling night of action as the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26 got underway on Friday (11). Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen timed his kick to perfection to win the men's 5000m, clocking 12:59.24 to deny world champion Cole Hocker. Mondo Duplantis cleared 6.20m to add another pole vault title to his remarkable collection and then took three solid attempts at a would-be world record of 6.32m. Fellow world record-holder Yaroslava Mahuchikh won a second global title in the Hungarian capital, soaring to the inaugural high jump crown in a height of 1.99m. Olympic champion and world record holder Masai Russell capped a sensational season by winning the women's 100m hurdles in 12.22, while US compatriot Ja'Kobe Tharp won the men's 110m hurdles by an incredibly close margin in 12.94. Elsewhere, sprints powerhouse USA won the mixed 4x100m in 39.64 – the second-fastest time in history. Germany’s Merlin Hummel defeated multiple global champion Ethan Katzberg and world leader Bence Halász to win the men’s hammer with 81.46m, and Italy's Larissa Iapichino earned the biggest victory of her career to date by winning the women's long jump with 6.90m.
On Sat, Sep 12, 2026