Glitz and a New Format, but Duplantis Still Rules Opening Night of Ultimate Championship

The World Athletics Ultimate Championship opened in Budapest with a bold new look for the sport, though the spotlight on night one still belonged to a familiar name: pole vault star Armand Duplantis.

The Swedish athlete had already clinched the title of inaugural champion and his share of the event's record $10m prize pot, worth $150,000 to him personally. Although he narrowly failed to clear 6.32m for what would have been his 16th career world record, his duel with Greek vaulter Emmanouil Karalis provided a thrilling finale to the night. Duplantis described the event as the final piece needed to cement his status as the sport's ultimate champion.

A striking new presentation

The championship, held in a stadium that hosted the World Championships three years ago, has been transformed with a black-painted infield, a bright pink long jump sandpit, and elaborate light shows designed to draw attention to the action. Broadcasts featured augmented reality graphics showing athletes' win probabilities and projected finishing positions, part of organisers' broader push, backed by World Athletics president Lord Coe, to reshape the sport's future.

Other results

Friday's opening session delivered eight finals in three hours, with wins for Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Yaroslava Mahuchikh and Masai Russell. The United States' mixed 4x100m relay team became the first athletes to lift the championship's new trophy, winning in 39.64 seconds and sharing an $80,000 prize; Great Britain finished third in 40.26 seconds.

Britain's Keely Hodgkinson comfortably won her 800m semi-final to qualify fastest for Saturday's final, while Matthew Hudson-Smith advanced to the men's 400m final. Ingebrigtsen also claimed victory in the 5,000m, setting up an anticipated showdown with Britain's Josh Kerr in Sunday's 1500m final.