“Making 150k in 10 seconds or less is crazy”; “Good times for track” - Fans react to upcoming $10 million World Athletics Ultimate Championships

On Monday, World Athletics announced the launch of the World Athletics Ultimate Championships, a brand-new global competition set to feature all of the world's biggest track and field stars. The competition comes with a $10 million prize pot and a compact format, which left the fans enthused.

The inaugural version of the biennial Ultimate Championships is set to take place in 2026 in Budapest, Hungary, and will stage nearly 400 athletes participating from across 70 countries.

According to a press release by the WA, the competition will be held in a compact format, with a $150k check awaiting the gold medalists.

Reacting to this announcement of the World Athletics Ultimate Championships, fans across X (formerly Twitter) were sent into a frenzy, with one writing,

“Making 150k in 10 seconds or less is crazy.”

Another fan pointed out that this marks growth in the world of track and field, writing,

“Damn, and (Michael) Johnson's league is coming to, good times for track.”

A couple of other fans expressed their excitement over the healthy prize money for athletes.

“Something different! Good, we need it! Incentivise the athletes!” one track and field enthusiast wrote.

“Ohhh this fiya!! Like a super meet of champions for the bag 💰,” another chimed in.

Meanwhile, a few fans joined the discussion to raise concerns about an adequate incentive for all athletes.

“I hope the payouts for everyone who makes it here is good. Not just the medalists. If you're doing straight semis, everyone who qualifies for this elite event should get paid. What are those splits like?” one X user opied.

“I need to see the whole breakdown before I can get excited. The diamond league is perfect if you winning. It sucks if you’re a lane filler. Winners don’t need more money…the people who are getting 4-8 do. Show me their payouts then I’ll give my opinion on it,” another commented.

WA President Sebastian Coe on the introduction of the World Athletics Ultimate Championships

The introduction of the World Athletics Ultimate Championships looks like a much-needed ray of hope for the track and field world that has been struggling with rapidly declining popularity.

With athletics only reaching its full potential with the audience during the Olympic Year, this Ultimate Championships is an attempt to rectify that. Speaking in a press release, WA President, Sebastian Coe, stated that with the introduction of this brand-new competition, track and field would now reach a wider audience every year.

“The World Athletics Ultimate Championship will be high on action and excitement for fans, setting a new standard for track and field events. Featuring athletics’ biggest stars, it will be a must-watch global sports event and means track and field will host a major global championship in every single year, ensuring for the first time that athletics will enjoy a moment of maximum audience reach on an annual basis.”

The first World Athletics Ultimate Championships is slated to be held between September 11th and 13th, 2026, in Budapest (Hungary). The competition will feature only 8-16 athletes in each event, chosen largely based on world rankings.