Budapest – The inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship delivered a thrilling showdown on Saturday as Switzerland’s Audrey Werro out‑paced Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson in the women’s 800 metres. Werro led from the start and crossed the finish line in 1:55.88, earning the $150,000 winner’s purse and a spot on the podium ahead of Hodgkinson, who finished 0.38 seconds behind.
Joining them on the podium, the Netherlands’ double world 400m hurdles champion Femke Broeders‑Bol secured third place. In the women’s 100 metres, U.S. sprinter Melissa Jefferson‑Wooden dominated the field, clocking a season‑best 10.62 seconds to claim the Ultimate title, just 0.12 seconds ahead of St. Lucia’s Olympic champion Julien Alfred.
Other Highlights from the Three‑Day Meet
American Kenny Bednarek captured the men’s 100m with a time of 9.85 seconds, edging out Jamaica’s Oblique Seville (9.90). Botswana’s Collen Kebinatshipi defended his world champion status in the men’s 400m, finishing in 43.39 seconds, while Dominican Republic’s Marileidy Paulino won the women’s 400m in 49.07 seconds.
Japan’s Haruka Kitaguchi took the women’s javelin title with a throw of 68.92 metres, and China’s 18‑year‑old Yan Ziyi placed second with 68.05 metres – the first time in 14 years that two women have both thrown beyond 68 metres in the same competition.
Poland’s Klaudia Kazimierska out‑finished Britain’s Georgia Hunter Bell in the women’s 1,500m, posting a time of 3:57.55. Bell, who finished just 0.17 seconds shy of victory, reflected on her journey from tech sales to elite athletics, saying, “It just shows that I can do anything.”
In the field events, Greece’s double Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou won the men’s long jump with an 8.35‑metre leap, and American Sandi Morris claimed the women’s pole vault with a clearance of 4.90 metres.
The championship will conclude on Sunday, wrapping up a weekend of world‑class performances and record‑breaking moments.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
