The inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championships this weekend is set to feature a highly anticipated men's 1500m race, positioned as a flagship event. The competition in Budapest's Gyula Zsivotzky National Athletics Centre is expected to be the culmination of a long-running feud involving Norwegian athlete Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Britain's Josh Kerr, with American Cole Hocker now also part of the rivalry.
The rivalry between Ingebrigtsen and Kerr dates back more than two years to the Paris Olympic final. More recently, Ingebrigtsen has taken exception to Hocker's tactics at the Diamond League Final, leading to further public exchanges. Ingebrigtsen previously apologised for calling competitors "losers" but maintained that Hocker and others were "cowardly."
World Athletics has organised the new Ultimate Championships to fill a gap in the calendar, inviting world and Olympic champions, Diamond League winners, and top-performing athletes. Both Ingebrigtsen and Kerr were granted wildcards to ensure their participation, with World Athletics stating this "ensures the race will be an epic test of who is truly the best of the best." The individual champion will receive $150,000 from a total prize pot of $10 million.