Budapest, Sep 3 (IANS) Pole vault world record holder Armand Duplantis has said athletics needs to embrace innovation ahead of the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship, while he and several other top athletes also expressed excitement about the 2027 World Athletics Championships in Beijing.
“I think it was about time to try something and innovate a bit within athletics,” the 26-year-old Swede said during an online media session on Wednesday.
The inaugural Ultimate Championship will be held in Budapest from September 11 to 13. Duplantis said the new event gives elite athletes a major target in years without an Olympic Games or World Championships. “You want to have some sort of climax, and you want to build something towards the year,” he said.
Duplantis welcomed the competition’s new approach and the chance to bring the world’s best athletes together on one stage, reports Xinhua. “When you have all the best there, and the stage is set, then we’re athletes, and we’re going to show up to the moment and perform when we need to,” Duplantis said.
The Swede also stressed the importance of attracting more spectators to athletics, saying prize money matters but the sport’s long-term future depends on drawing a larger audience. “We want eyeballs, and we want people to watch,” he said. “At the end of the day, it is entertainment, and we have to be the most entertaining that we possibly can be.”
American sprinter Melissa Jefferson-Wooden said the Ultimate Championship will give athletes a “new feel”, contrasting its compact format with the traditional World Championships, where athletes must navigate several rounds over a longer schedule.
Olympic long jump champion Tara Davis-Woodhall made a similar point, saying the Ultimate Championship emphasises producing one’s best performance on the day. At the same time, the World Championships test endurance through qualifying rounds and finals. “They’re both different experiences. They’re both different mind challenges,” she said.
For Duplantis, Budapest is also a place where he hopes to push the limits again. The Swede said he loves the National Athletics Centre and believes the venue has “world record capacity”.
“That’s my goal, and that’s what I want to achieve for sure,” he said.
Looking ahead to Beijing 2027, several athletes expressed excitement about competing in China’s capital.
Jefferson-Wooden said it will be her first trip to China and that she is keen to experience a new championship atmosphere.
Davis-Woodhall highlighted the appeal of a multi-day World Championships, including the chance to watch other events and spend time with teammates.
Botswanan sprinter Letsile Tebogo, who won gold in the 200m at the 2024 Olympics, said he had good memories of competing at Diamond League meetings in China and looked forward to returning next year.
Duplantis, who has competed in several Chinese cities, described Beijing as a “bucket-list place” and the Bird’s Nest as a stadium with “a lot of power” and an energy an athlete could “only dream of”.
“I’m really excited for it because I know that the Chinese fans can really show up and show out,” Duplantis said. “So I think it’s going to be great.”
–IANS
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