Nigeria is set for another major athletics assignment as nine athletes prepare to represent the country at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship, scheduled for September 11–13 in Budapest, Hungary.
The historic competition will bring together the world’s leading athletes in a new three-day format designed to crown the ultimate champions across track and field.
The inaugural edition will feature 381 athletes from 65 federations, with a record US$10 million prize pot on offer and individual champions earning US$150,000.
Leading Nigeria’s charge is world-record holder Tobi Amusan, who will compete in the women’s 100m hurdles, alongside rising sprint star Kayinsola Ajayi in the men’s 100m.
Nigeria will also be represented by Ella Onojuvwevwo in the women’s 400m, Udodi Onwuzurike in the men’s 200m and Ezekiel Nathaniel in the men’s 400m hurdles.
The country’s presence will be further strengthened by the mixed 4x100m relay team, featuring Alaba Akintola, Favour Ashe, Miracle Ezechukwu, Udodi Onwuzurike, Rosemary Nwankwo and Tobi Amusan.
The nine-athlete contingent therefore combines established international pedigree with emerging Nigerian sprint talent, giving the country representation across several of the championship’s headline events.
For Amusan, the Budapest assignment offers another opportunity to compete against the very best in the world after a remarkable season that has seen her remain among the leading names in the women’s hurdles.
Ajayi, meanwhile, arrives with considerable momentum after securing a bronze medal in the men’s 100m at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, while also helping Nigeria to bronze in the men’s 4x100m relay.
The championship itself is unlike the traditional World Athletics Championships. There will be no heats in the conventional sense, with many track events beginning at the semi-final stage and the top four from each semi-final advancing to the final. Field events will be contested as straight finals.
World Athletics says the competition is designed to bring together Olympic champions, world champions, Diamond League winners and the best-performing athletes of the season for a direct battle to determine who stands at the top of their discipline.
“Every moment counts – there will be no heats, no easing in,” World Athletics said in outlining the concept of the championship.
That format promises an intense test for Nigeria’s representatives, with every race carrying enormous significance from the opening session.
The mixed 4x100m relay will be the first opportunity for Team Nigeria to make its mark in Budapest, with the event scheduled for the opening session on Friday, September 11, while the individual events will unfold across the three days.
The championship is expected to attract some of the biggest names in global athletics, making Budapest the centre of the sport this weekend.
For Nigeria, however, the mission is straightforward: nine athletes, one flag and a chance to make history at the very first Ultimate Championship.
Budapest awaits. Nigeria is ready for the Ultimate test.
