Jefferson-Wooden wins epic 100m battle as Ultimate Saturday night delivers
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden a sizzling 10.62 in the women's 100m to beat Julien Alfred in Budapest, as Kenny Bednarek, Marileidy Paulino and Sandi Morris also claimed titles on a thrilling second night of the World Athletics Ultimate Championship.
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden produced the joint seventh fastest 100m in history to win an enthralling clash with Julien Alfred at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest on Saturday (Sept 12), timing 10.62 (-0.2m) to hold off the Olympic champion and a fast-finishing Sha'Carri Richardson.
Jefferson-Wooden, who won the 100m, 200m and 4x100m titles at last year's World Championships, added the inaugural Ultimate crown to a collection that already includes an Olympic 4x100m gold. She had described running 10.61 in Tokyo last September as her "ultimate performance" before the championship began; in Budapest she came within a hundredth of that mark to post the fastest time in the world this year.
Alfred, racing from lane five with Jefferson-Wooden immediately alongside in lane four, took second in 10.74. Richardson, back in the stadium where she won her world title three years ago, came through for third in 10.76, just ahead of a blanket finish behind her: Jamaica's Jonielle Smith and Tina Clayton, fresh off her first Diamond League title in Brussels, both clocked 10.94, separated by a single thousandth of a second. Britain's Amy Hunt was eighth in 11.09.
It continues a remarkable year for Jefferson-Wooden, who has now broken 10.70 four times in 2026 and owns three of the five fastest performances in the world this season.
"This feels amazing. I crossed the line with a smile on my face because only I know all the things I have done to get to this moment," said Jefferson-Wooden. "When I got into the blocks today, I just told myself that this is my moment."
She returns to the track for the 200m on Sunday, chasing a rare double. "If I could win the double, it would just add to who I actually am," she said. "I am down to do things that haven't been done before, I am down for innovation and for challenging myself."
In the men's race, Kenny Bednarek finally added an individual global title to a career previously built on the runner-up spot, winning in 9.85 (-0.6) after two Olympic silvers and two world silvers over 200m. World champion Oblique Seville of Jamaica took second in 9.90, with USA's Ronnie Baker third in 9.93, edging Nigeria's Kayinsola Ajayi into fourth by four thousandths of a second. Christian Coleman was fifth in 9.94.
Seville had gone in as slight favourite after cruising his semi-final in 9.90, with Bednarek winning the other in 9.94. In the final, Seville overhauled early leader Coleman before Bednarek emerged on his outside, his 200m strength telling in the closing stages as Seville's technique began to unravel under pressure near the line.
"This one was for the history books," said Bednarek, watched trackside by Usain Bolt and Noah Lyles. "Everything is a little bit more exciting than at the World Championships, but also this event brought a bit more pressure on me as there is a lot on the line."
He now has the chance to complete a sprint double of his own in Sunday's 200m. "I want to win a double title and make people happy," he said.
Seville was gracious in defeat. "I wanted to run faster but Kenny got the best out of this race," he said. "It has been a long season and I am tired at this point. I will take time off now... I want to keep the world champion title next year." Baker, enjoying a rare appearance in a major final, added: "I love this format and I know we are keeping a lot of people on their toes. It is fun, it is fast and it is entertaining."
Botswana's world champion Collen Kebinatshipi capped an unbeaten season in the 400m, clocking 43.39 to move to sole ownership of fifth on the world all-time list. The 22-year-old, who arrived in Budapest as Diamond League champion after his 43.40 in Brussels, judged his race perfectly to hold off USA's Rai Benjamin, who came through for second in 44.15, with Jereem Richards third in 44.23.
"I'm proud of myself for hanging on from the start of the season to the end of it," said Kebinatshipi. "I am usually always sitting back and kicking in the last metres, but today I wanted to feel what other athletes were feeling over their races, to tie up a bit in the last metres. I was really tired over the last metres, but that was what I wanted to do and to feel."
Marileidy Paulino's remarkable season showed no sign of slowing as the Olympic champion won the women's 400m in 49.07, a 12th consecutive victory that kept her unbeaten across all disciplines in 2026. Bahrain's Salwa Eid Naser and the Netherlands' Lieke Klaver both set the early pace, level at halfway, but Paulino hit the front with around 70 metres remaining and pulled clear, with Norway's Henriette Jæger (49.28) and Jamaica's Nickisha Pryce (49.56) chasing home for second and third.
"This is what I came here for and I achieved my goal of winning the Ultimate Championship," said Paulino, who won her world title in this same stadium in 2023. "I still have some work to do on the first part of my race, but I'm not quite finished with my season – I'll be racing at the Athlos event in London, which is one last opportunity to run sub-49."
Miltiadis Tentoglou made good on a promise to end his season on a high after being denied the Diamond League title in Brussels last week, winning the men's long jump with 8.35m. The Greek athlete, already an Olympic champion twice over, opened with 8.16m before improving to his winning mark in round two, staying just ahead of European indoor champion Bozhidar Saraboyukov, whose best effort of 8.34m in the final round left him agonisingly short on countback. Tajay Gayle, conqueror of Tentoglou in Brussels, could only manage fifth after failing to secure a final attempt.
"I always say that jumping far is more important to me than winning, but tonight I was happy to add another global title to my collection," said Tentoglou, who also improved his own national record to 8.66m earlier this season. "I was hoping to jump farther tonight, but I'm happy that I still had my best season ever."
Sandi Morris ended a long wait for a first global outdoor title, clearing 4.90m to beat compatriot Hana Moll on countback in the women's pole vault, with Switzerland's Angelica Moser third on 4.85m. The 34-year-old had collected four world outdoor silvers, an Olympic silver and two world indoor titles across her career without ever winning a global title outdoors and showed nerve to match her season's best under pressure – passing at 4.85m, aware she needed something bigger than her rivals' matching height to guarantee victory.
"I decided to risk it for the biscuit," she said. "I had to battle really hard for that title."
It marked only the second time in history that two women have cleared 4.90m outdoors, after Morris herself took silver at the mark at the 2019 World Championships.
Moll, just 21 and cleared to within a centimetre of her own Diamond League-winning height, said the new straight-final format suited the competitors: "It is a lot less taxing not to have to do a preliminary round before the final. I think that is one of the reasons why we saw so many high bars, because everyone was fresh and ready."
Haruka Kitaguchi returned to the city of her 2023 world title to improve her own Japanese record to 68.92m and win the javelin, moving from 23rd to joint 10th on the world all-time list in the process. China's 18-year-old Yan Ziyi, unbeaten in five Diamond League meetings this year, opened with 68.05m but withdrew from the competition after her second attempt after appearing to be limping, leaving that mark to hold up for second ahead of Colombia's Flor Denis Ruiz Hurtado, who saved her best throw of 64.84m for her final attempt.
"I dream and believe I have a chance every competition, and I threw a national record today to win the Ultimate title and it feels wonderful," said Kitaguchi, coached by three-time Olympic champion and world record-holder Jan Železný. "Last year in Tokyo I was disappointed, but now I can say with confidence that I am back."
Elsewhere, Klaudia Kazimierska won a surprise women's 1500m title and Audrey Werro took the women's 800m title – read our report here.
