BUDAPEST, Hungary – The wait for a Jamaican athlete to win an event at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championships continued for a second consecutive night. At the start of the championship, many observers expected Oblique Seville, the reigning 100m world champion and Diamond League winner, to add the Ultimate Champion trophy to his accolades based on his current form.
Seville appeared on course after confidently winning his semi-final in 9.90 seconds. His American rival, Kenneth Bednarek, also looked comfortable, winning the other semi-final in 9.94 seconds. The final was set to be a defining showdown between the two men, who had each claimed three victories in their previous six meetings. However, Seville had the momentum, having won their last three encounters.
Drawn beside each other in lanes four and five, Seville got a decent start ahead of Bednarek. However, 2019 world champion Christian Coleman took off the fastest and held a slim lead. Seville and Bednarek overtook Coleman at the 65m mark, leading to a fierce battle for the lead. Bednarek ultimately pulled ahead to claim his first global title after years of finishing as the runner-up. He crossed the finish line in a season’s best of 9.85 seconds, while Seville finished in 9.90 seconds, ahead of 4x100m mixed relay gold medallist Ronnie Baker, who edged out Nigerian Kayinsola Ajayi by four thousandths of a second. Both Baker and Ajayi clocked 9.93 seconds.
In the women’s 100m final, Olympic champion Julien Alfred renewed her rivalry with world champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden. The two women had faced each other nine times before, with Alfred leading the head-to-head 6-3. When the starter’s gun went off, both Jefferson-Wooden and Alfred had to chase down Jamaica’s Tina Clayton, who had an electrifying start. At the halfway mark, Jefferson-Wooden and Alfred shifted gears and surged forward. However, the quick-footed Jefferson-Wooden pulled away to secure a commanding win in a world-leading time of 10.62 seconds. Alfred finished in 10.74 seconds, just ahead of the fast-finishing Sha’Carri Richardson, who clocked 10.76 seconds. Jamaica’s Jonielle Smith clinched fourth place, edging out her teammate Tina Clayton for the position. Both women finished in 10.94 seconds, with Smith winning by the slimmest of margins — just one thousandth of a second.
Elsewhere, Jamaica’s Nikisha Pryce ran courageously from lane nine to secure third place in the women’s 400m final, which was won by Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino in 49.07 seconds.
In the men’s 400m, world champion Busang Collen Kebinatshipi of Botswana reinforced his status as the world’s top quarter-miler by winning the event in an impressive 43.39 seconds. The time placed him fifth on the all-time world list. From the start, Kebinatshipi appeared determined, abandoning his usual reserved approach over the first 200m. This time, he sped down the back straight, overtaking his opponents as if they were standing still. He maintained his momentum around the top bend and into the home straight and appeared to be chasing the world record. After crossing the finish line, Kebinatshipi celebrated with his customary post-victory push-ups.
American Rai Benjamin secured second place in 44.15 seconds. He would later return to compete in the men’s 400m hurdles, where he advanced to the final.
Commonwealth Games 800m champion Navasky Anderson saw his hopes of making the final fade as he struggled in the home straight. Coming through the bell lap in 52 seconds, he was in a good position with 200m to go but could not live with the burst of speed from his opponents when it mattered most. He finished fifth in 1:44.83, just behind world champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi, who faced challenges during the race but managed to clinch the final automatic spot.
In the women’s 400m hurdles semi-finals, Jamaica’s Sanique Walker and Rushell Clayton both advanced to the final. Walker, the Commonwealth Games champion, achieved a personal best of 53.77 seconds, finishing third in her semi-final. Meanwhile, Clayton had an anxious wait to see if she had secured the final automatic spot in the other semi-final, which she did with a time of 53.84 seconds.
In the men’s long jump final, Diamond League champion Tajay Gayle disappointed his fans, failing to reach 8m. His best effort of 7.90m placed him no higher than fifth.
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