Mondo Duplantis is inaugural Ultimate Star for World Athletics Ultimate Championship
In the role, Duplantis will be 'one of a select number of key collaborators pursuing their cultural passions outside of athletics in music, fashion, art, on-screen, who will promote the new global season-ending championship,' according to World Athletics.
In a press release, World Athletics President Seb Coe called Duplantis 'one of the megastars of our sport.'
'We're always looking for new ways to make sure that the spotlight shines on athletics and the Ultimate will light up Budapest,' Duplantis said in the release. 'I have great memories of winning world gold two years ago (in Budapest) and remember the incredible atmosphere inside the stadium that night. It would be a dream to break the world record in front of a packed crowd next year.
'This event is set to showcase our sport like never before, and I can't wait to be a part of it.'
The World Athletics Ultimate Championship is an exclusive, biennial season-ending track and field meet for even years without a World Outdoor Championships.
The first edition will be in Budapest from Sept. 11-13, 2026, with 28 events total, including the senior global championship debut of the mixed-gender 4x100m relay.
World Athletics announced last year that the meet will include fields of eight to 16 athletes per individual event.
Those fields will be based primarily on world rankings with no limits on athletes per country. Track events will have semifinals and finals. Field events will have strictly finals.
All reigning Olympic gold medalists, world champions and Diamond League season champions are guaranteed spots in their respective events. Athletes will wear national team uniforms.
Duplantis was among the first 26 athletes who qualified for the Ultimate Championship by winning their events at the Paris Olympics.
Nick Zaccardi,
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC Sports
an hour ago
- NBC Sports
Michael Phelps teaches Ravens players to swim
Last month, several players on the Ravens noted that they don't know how to swim to make full use of the team's new pool in their renovated athletic performance facility. Michael Phelps, a 23-time Olympic gold medalist and big Ravens fan, was called in to help. Phelps visited Ravens training camp this week and worked with the players, many of whom had so little experience in the water that they weren't comfortable getting in any deeper than they could comfortably stand. 'I didn't know what I was getting into. I had no idea what their comfort level was,' Phelps told the Ravens' website. 'When I see the guys in there and some of the guys who are literally working on floating and breathing, and they're focused on paying attention to those details, it shows their vulnerability, especially when they're uncomfortable. It was a special day. Racing some of the fellas in the 25 [meter]. My son raced some of the guys. It was a great day. I truly hope they learned something, hopefully got some confidence, and hopefully can transition into something else.' Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith was among several players who thought the lessons from Phelps were beneficial, not only for their use of the team facility but for their lives. 'If I have to swim less than 20 yards, I could survive somehow because I could doggy paddle,' Smith said. 'But as far as actually swimming and knowing how to breathe and things of that nature, honestly, it was my first time. It was really cool. It was really solid, some of the lessons they gave me. I feel a little more confident.' Teaching people to swim has become one of Phelps' missions since retiring from competitive swimming. The Michael Phelps Foundation promotes learning to swim for drowning prevention, and the mental and physical health benefits of swimming.
San Francisco Chronicle
5 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Rowers revel in beach sprints in the run-up to LA's 2028 Olympics
LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — It's a beach run, a coastal row and a music party rolled into one, and it's about to become an Olympic event. On a sunny Southern California morning, nearly two dozen athletes gathered to try their hand at beach sprints at a camp run by USRowing in Long Beach, not far from where the inaugural Olympic races will be held in 2028. Many were long-time flatwater rowers who wanted to take a shot at something new. Others were already hooked on the quick-paced and unpredictable race format and have been training with an eye on LA28. Two at a time, athletes run to the waterline, hop in a boat, row a slalom course, then turn around and return to shore to jump out and dash across the sand to hit a finish-line buzzer — all in about three minutes. "You don't just have to be a good rower — you also have to be a good athlete, and what that means is you've got to be able to be dynamic and adapt to whatever Mother Nature throws at you," said Maurice Scott, a long-time rower from Philadelphia who moved to Long Beach to prepare for the Olympics. The next summer Olympics will be held in Los Angeles and nearby cities. Interest in beach sprints has risen since the International Olympic Committee announced its inclusion, especially since the games will no longer feature a lightweight rowing category popular among smaller athletes. Rowing officials developed the beach sprint format a little over a decade ago hoping to engage spectators in a sport that's otherwise removed from people watching from the shore. A standard 2,000 meter-flatwater race is typically only visible closer to the finish line. In beach sprints, athletes compete close to the crowds in a dynamic and much shorter race that fans can easily track from the sand. Guin Batten, chair of World Rowing's coastal commission, said the vision is to have a fun, lively event on the beach where spectators can listen to good music, be close to the action and follow their favorite athletes. The entire event runs just an hour. 'It's knockout. It's chaotic,' said Batten, an Olympic rower who helped develop the format. 'Until you cross a finish line, anyone can win that race.' Many traditional flatwater rowers accustomed to steady strokes on calm waterways have no interest in the ups and downs of wind and waves. But other long-time rowers are hooked. Christine Cavallo, a beach sprinter on the U.S. national team, said she loves the unpredictability of the waves, which can humble even the most incredible athletes. 'You could be the best rower in the world and get flipped by the wave," Cavallo said. Coastal rowing has long been popular throughout the world but different cultures have used different boats and rules. Part of the appeal of beach sprints is the boat has been standardized and is provided at competitions, which makes it easier for more athletes to try it. The first major international beach sprints competition was at the 2015 Mediterranean Beach Games in Italy. Head of the Charles, known for its yearly October flatwater regatta in Massachusetts, hosted its first beach sprints event in July. About 100 rowers, twice as many as expected, participated, said Brendan Mulvey, race director. Since the Olympic announcement, Tom Pattichis, British Rowing's head coach for beach sprints, said he now has athletes training full-time in the event. Meanwhile, Marc Oria, the USA Beach Sprint head coach, said camps in Massachusetts, New Jersey and Long Beach aim to bring the race to long-time rowers and others who haven't tried it. Athletes find it exhilarating because it requires them to be agile and adaptive as well as superb rowers, he said. 'It's growing exponentially in the last four years all around the world,' Oria said. 'Our goal for U.S. rowing is to create more events, more opportunities, and to create a good pipeline for 2028.' At the camp in Long Beach, competitors included a teacher, an Olympic rower, a marketing professional who began rowing a few weeks earlier and a high school senior. 'I tried it and I really loved it, so I came back,' said Bridgette Hanson, a 17-year-old rower from Arizona who raced in beach sprints for the first time this year in Florida. 'It requires a lot more brute force.' John Wojtkiewicz, coach of the Long Beach Coastal Team, called out to racers to help guide them through the course. He said he's eager to see how the Olympic venue is set up and hopes spectators can get a good view like they do at surfing events. 'What is great about the beach sprint — and this may have helped its development — is you can watch the entire race,' Wojtkiewicz said. "Anything can happen.'
Business Upturn
5 hours ago
- Business Upturn
Did you know? Olympic hockey hero Dr Vece Paes also shaped Indian cricket with BCCI role
By Aditya Bhagchandani Published on August 14, 2025, 10:10 IST Not many know that Dr Vece Paes — 1972 Olympic hockey bronze medallist and father of tennis icon Leander Paes — had a long-standing connection with Indian cricket too. A stalwart in sports medicine, Dr Paes served as a medical consultant for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Asian Cricket Council for decades, overseeing anti-doping education and player welfare. His expertise was sought at ATP tennis tournaments, Davis Cup ties, and even the Indian Super League (ISL). In 2021, a special cricket tournament — the Dr Vece Paes Cricket Cup — was launched in his honour at the historic Calcutta Cricket and Football Club (CC&FC). Leander Paes himself turned up in pads for the Doctors' XI, teaming up with former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan to celebrate his father's legacy. The event is now an annual Republic Day tradition in Kolkata. From Olympic glory to shaping sports medicine in India, Dr Vece Paes leaves behind a legacy that spans far beyond the hockey field. Ahmedabad Plane Crash Aditya Bhagchandani serves as the Senior Editor and Writer at Business Upturn, where he leads coverage across the Business, Finance, Corporate, and Stock Market segments. With a keen eye for detail and a commitment to journalistic integrity, he not only contributes insightful articles but also oversees editorial direction for the reporting team.
