DUPLANTIS WINS INAUGURAL WORLD ATHLETICS ULTIMATE CHAMPIONSHIP

Armand Duplantis secured victory in the pole vault at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest on Friday, claiming the sport's newest global title and $150,000 (£110,000) from a total prize pot of $10m (£7.4m). The Swedish 26-year-old, who wrote and recorded the competition's official song, was unable to clear 6.32m and set a world record, but provided what observers described as an entertaining final against Greek challenger Emmanouil Karalis. The sell-out crowd exceeded 20,000 spectators for the opening night of the three-day event.

The inaugural Ultimate Championship features a condensed format designed to showcase head-to-head competition among the world's elite athletes. The opening day produced eight finals over three hours, with victories for Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Yaroslava Mahuchikh and Masai Russell. In the women's 100m hurdles, Russell took gold in 12.22 seconds, with Nigeria's Tobi Amusan finishing second in 12.34 seconds and receiving $75,000. Russell set a world record of 12.09 seconds in Zurich last month, which Amusan responded to with a time of 12.23 seconds.

The event represents World Athletics and its president Lord Coe's vision for reshaping the sport's future through an innovative format. Competitors including Great Britain's Keely Hodgkinson, Georgia Hunter Bell, Amy Hunt and Matthew Hudson-Smith are among those contesting for the championship titles on Saturday. The competition introduced distinctive staging elements including a bright pink sandpit and a pitch black infield.