Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
Several prominent athletes, including Paris Olympic and Tokyo world champions, have secured their places at the upcoming World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest.
The championship features eight track and five field events for both men and women, plus two mixed relays, contested over three nights. Notable qualifiers include sprint stars Noah Lyles and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, both qualified in the 100m and 200m events. Other confirmed athletes are Keely Hodgkinson, Mondo Duplantis, Hamish Kerr, and Tara Davis-Woodhall.
The upcoming World Relays in Gaborone, Botswana, on 2-3 May, is a significant qualifying event where the top six finishers in the mixed 4x100m and 4x400m relays will earn entry to the Ultimate Championship. Only one nation per relay is allowed at the event, though individual events have no national entry limits.
The Diamond League Final in Brussels on 4-5 September offers another key qualification chance. Winners there are guaranteed a spot at the Ultimate Championship, with additional invitations possible if the winner is already qualified through Olympic or world champion status, or world rankings.
Beyond these events, athlete qualification will rely on world rankings as of 1 September, based on performances over the past year. Quotas are set: 16 athletes for track events up to 800m, 12 for 1500m and 5000m, and 8 for each field event. Final entry lists will be confirmed in early September, just before the championship in Hungary's capital.
The Ultimate Championship offers a $10 million prize fund, with $150,000 awarded to each event winner. The online tool, Road to the Ultimate, provides updates on athlete qualification status.