Usain Bolt says he could earn more in a day at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship than he ever did for any of his eight Olympic gold medals, after it emerged a sprinter winning the 100m, 200m and mixed 4x100m could take home $450,000 in Budapest this weekend.

Usain Bolt admits it "stings a little" that the World Athletics Ultimate Championship's prize money arrived too late for his own career, after he was told a sprinter completing the 100m, 200m and mixed 4x100m in Budapest this weekend could earn $450,000 — more than he ever received for any of his eight Olympic gold medals combined.

Speaking at Thursday's pre-event press conference in Budapest, Bolt was put on the spot by Sean Ingle of The Guardian, who asked the sprint legend whether he'd have liked to compete for that kind of money in his prime. "I was having a conversation with Asafa [Powell] before I came here. We were actually talking about that same thing," Bolt said. "We were like, geez, we missed out on this cash prize. A wonderful few championships and it still doesn't add up to all that cash."

But Bolt, one of two "Ultimate Legends" at the inaugural event alongside pole vault world record-holder Mondo Duplantis in the "Ultimate Star" role, was quick to frame the money as a positive for the sport rather than a personal regret. "It's big and I think it's good for the sport. It incentivises athletes to come out here and do their best," he said. "This is a job for us, and this is what we do. It's sad I missed out on it, but I'm happy for the athletes."

Bolt also backed World Athletics' broader push to secure better financial rewards for track and field athletes at major championships, including the introduction of $50,000 prize money for Olympic gold medallists at Paris 2024 and plans to extend that to all medallists at Los Angeles 2028. "I think we put such a big weight on the Olympics and it's something athletes also look forward to," he said. "I definitely agree that they should be compensated for what they do... we're putting our bodies on the line, because if we get injured, it messes the next year up."

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe, opening the press conference, confirmed the Ultimate Championship's $10 million prize pot forms part of more than $50 million the governing body will pay out in competition prize money across the current Olympic cycle. "I am unapologetic and we are unwavering about our support for the athletes and their financial welfare," Coe said. "It's not just warm words. We walk the walk."

Coe described a mix of relief and pride at finally launching an event that has been "two or three years in the making," crediting what he called "Herculean" work from staff and from the new Hungarian government, which he met with 10 weeks ago as the event was drawing close. The championship will feature 381 athletes from 65 member federations, with around 300 media and photographers and 48 broadcast partners on site. Coe said ticket sales were "in really good shape."

There were plenty of lighter moments too. Coe revealed that the athletes' after-party, hosted by Noah Lyles, would be off-limits to World Athletics staff. "It would feel a bit like creepy uncle turning up at an 18th birthday party," he said. "We're going to leave Noah and all the young people to that."

Dawn Harper-Nelson, the Olympic 100m hurdles champion who will host the event's on-field presentation, said the black infield used throughout the championship had already passed its first test.

"The black infield stood up through the rain last night," she said, talking about a heavy rain shower in the city the previous evening. "That lets us all know this championship is here to stay."

Hungary's minister overseeing the event, Gabor Kocsvaj, welcomed the championship back to a city that hosted the World Championships in 2023, name-checking hammer thrower Bence Halász's European title earlier this year among reasons for home pride and pointing to a half marathon in Budapest this year that attracted more than 24,000 runners as evidence of the country's appetite for athletics. The Hungarian prime minister is expected to attend Friday's opening session.

Asked why Budapest was chosen to host the inaugural edition, Coe pointed to the city's track record. "It is, as far as I'm concerned, almost become the World Championship capital of the world," he said, citing the "proof of concept" delivered by the 2023 World Championships alongside strong political and financial backing from the Hungarian government.