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In one of the most eagerly anticipated showdowns of the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26, world champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden got the better of Olympic champion Gabby Thomas in the 200m by taking victory in 21.47 &ndash; one of the fastest times in history.
Not only did the US athlete complete the Ultimate sprint double, having won the 100m 24 hours prior in a world-leading 10.62, she also elevated herself to third on the world all-time list in the 200m.
Ever since the lane draft on Thursday when Jefferson-Wooden opted for the lane right next to Thomas in the 200m semifinals, it had become one of the most talked-about clashes of the weekend.
Thomas won the semifinal in 21.88, pulling away from Jefferson-Wooden in the closing stages as the 100m winner finished second in 22.15. But in the final two hours later, it soon became apparent that Jefferson-Wooden had been saving her best effort for when it mattered most.
The double world champion powered out of the blocks and quickly made up the stagger on Thomas, reaching half way with a comfortable lead. Just when most onlookers expected Thomas to make her move, it was Jefferson-Wooden who had the superior second half. She extended her lead with each stride and charged through the line in 21.47.
Thomas still produced a strong run, crossing the line in 21.77, but she was a distant runner-up to her teammate, who could not believe her eyes as she glanced to the scoreboard.
Kayla White made it a US 1-2-3, taking third in 21.93. European champion Amy Hunt was fourth in a season&rsquo;s best of 22.10.
&ldquo;I did not see 21.47 coming tonight!&rdquo; said a stunned Jefferson-Wooden. &ldquo;I told myself that I need to be smart in the semi-final and save some energy. I knew when I came out of the curve in the semifinal, it would be just enough to qualify for the final.
&ldquo;I never thought that people like Usain Bolt would watch my races and even have great reactions to my performances. He said to me earlier this week how proud he is of me for making it seem so easy.
&ldquo;I told my husband that whatever happens tonight, it will happen because of him,&rdquo; she added. &ldquo;That's what the scream was for when I crossed the finish line. I was thinking I could run this fast in maybe two years but not tonight. I really have no words.&rdquo;
Thomas said she enjoyed the competition, despite it not being the outcome she had hoped for.
&ldquo;It was a very competitive race,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;To be disappointed with a second-place finish on the global stage shows how far I have come. I liked this Ultimate from the beginning &ndash; the lane draft was a lot of fun. I think in the future whoever is ranked first should either get to pick what order they are in and I also think that first place in the semi-finals should get to pick the lane draw in the final.&rdquo;
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

Coverage of the women's 200m at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26

Jefferson-Wooden dashes to 21.47 Ultimate 200m victory in Budapest

Twenty-four hours after winning the 100m title, Kenny Bednarek completed the sprint double by claiming the 200m crown in a world-leading 19.52 (-0.1m/s) at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26 on Sunday (13).
Speaking at the end of his four-race campaign in the Hungarian capital, the US 27-year-old said 2026 was the year in which he focused on making progress. He proved it on Sunday, scorching to a PB to win clear ahead of Botswana&rsquo;s Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo and his US compatriot Courtney Lindsey.
The performance moved Bednarek to seventh on the world all-time list, two places behind Tebogo who ran 19.46 when winning his Olympic title in Paris two years ago.
Bednarek was second that day &ndash; and on the day of the 2021 Olympic 200m final and during the world 200m finals in 2022 and 2025. But after those four silver medals, he won his first individual global title in Budapest on Saturday.
The next one came quickly.
Showing no signs of tiredness after two rounds of the 100m the day before and a 200m semifinal earlier on Sunday, Bednarek led the final at the half way stage and continued to pull away, leaving Tebogo to chase him over the finish line in 19.76 &ndash; a season&rsquo;s best. Lindsey also achieved his fastest race of the year, clocking 19.79 to finish third ahead of South Africa&rsquo;s Sinesipho Dambile and Canada&rsquo;s Andre De Grasse as the top five dipped under 20 seconds.
Bednarek had cruised through the semifinals a couple of hours earlier, winning the first race in 19.86 despite easing as he reached the finish line, glancing at Lindsey who was second in 19.89. Tebogo was third in that semifinal in 19.96. Dambile and De Grasse also looked at each other as they secured the top two spots in the second semifinal &ndash; Dambile winning in 19.80 ahead of De Grasse who eased over the line in 19.87.
&ldquo;Oh my God, it has been a crazy few days,&rdquo; said Bednarek, who earned US$150,000 for each of his two wins in Budapest. &ldquo;I am just happy to be here and performance-wise I give myself an A+ because of the couple of things I have been working on &ndash; I put them together today and earlier in the week.&nbsp;
&ldquo;This whole event has been very nice. On the red carpet I managed to show a bit of my personality, which is different as I'm usually a more quiet type of person. I loved the lane draw and think we should do it more often. This is a phenomenal event and I'm happy that it is showing our sport in a different light.&nbsp;
&ldquo;This was the year where I focused on making progress. I need to look back at what I did overall, but I believe I did well. Coming home with two wins in Budapest is amazing.&rdquo;
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

Twenty-four hours after winning the 100m title, Kenny Bednarek completed the sprint double by claiming the 200m crown in a world-leading 19.52 at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26

Bednarek completes Ultimate sprint double with 200m win in Budapest

Gianmarco Tamberi competed with &lsquo;showtime babe&rsquo; written on his inner forearm and that proved to be a premonition as he cleared a world lead of 2.37m to secure the high jump crown in style at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest on Sunday (13).
The Italian 34-year-old won the world title in Budapest in 2023 and he put on quite the show on his return to the Hungarian capital, achieving his best performance in more than two years to beat USA's JuVaughn Harrison who cleared 2.30m and Mexico's Erick Portillo who was third on countback (2.26m).
&ldquo;It was already predicted &ndash; showtime, you know!&rdquo; said Tamberi, pointing to his arm during his trackside interview.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not thanks to me, it&rsquo;s thanks to the people who are there,&rdquo; he added, turning to the crowd. &ldquo;My friends, my family &ndash; all the people here who support me. You were crazy, guys. You pushed me over my limits.&rdquo;
Tamberi has endured a series of injury struggles over the past few years but he opened his season in July before winning his fourth European title in August.
He then received an exceptional invite to compete at the Ultimate Championship and focused on making the most of the opportunity.
He opened his competition at 2.22m and cleared that and 2.26m on his first attempts. He needed two tries to make it over 2.30m and only he and Harrison, the world silver medallist behind Tamberi in Budapest three years ago, remained in the competition as the 27-year-old managed it on his third go.
Then things got tactical.
Tamberi asked for quiet as he attempted 2.33m, raising his inscribed arm before starting his run up. He soared clear on that first try at the height, jumping straight back up and striding away from the mat.
Harrison had one failed attempt and decided to pass as the bar moved to 2.35m. The music was back for Tamberi&rsquo;s first attempt at the new height and the crowd obeyed as he asked for them to join him in a rhythmic clap. That strategy worked, too, and he again flew clear at the first time of asking.
Harrison passed again and the next height was 2.37m. Tamberi made it on his second try while Harrison failed once and used his final attempt at 2.39m &ndash; Tamberi securing the win when the US athlete knocked off the bar a final time.
With the high jump in the spotlight, Tamberi closed his campaign by taking three attempts at 2.41m.
&ldquo;It was an amazing night,&rdquo; said Tamberi. &ldquo;I came here with great memories from the World Championships in 2023 so I was looking forward to competing here knowing that it is an amazing place to jump.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I started the season probably 14th in the world rankings, so this really was a comeback. My career was very tough because, if I look at the ups and downs, I cannot even say which one was the most difficult to come back from. After I was not able to get to the final in Tokyo last year, people started to say that it's my time to retire &ndash; it was difficult to hear and to struggle against all these feelings. Finally, I'm here with 2.37m. Now I can say to everyone: &lsquo;Never stop believing in your dreams, never put a limit on yourself&rsquo;.&rdquo;
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

Gianmarco Tamberi competed with ‘showtime babe’ written on his inner forearm and that proved to be a premonition

Meeting Name	Venue		Date
Slovenian U16 Championships	Mestni	SLO	12 Sep 2026
Trcaj Be	Bitola	MKD	13 Sep 2026
Swedbank Vilnius Marathon - Half Marathon, 10K & 5K	Vilnius	LTU	13 Sep 2026
Hyundai Porto Half Marathon	Porto	POR	13 Sep 2026
USA 10000m Race Walking Championships	Sachem	USA	13 Sep 2026

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