The inaugural edition of the “Ultimate Championship” competition in Budapest went “well,” according to the President of the International Association of Athletics Federations, British Sebastian Coe, who praised the “positive” reactions from the athletes.
Coe described the tournament, which lasted for three days and brought together 381 athletes from 65 national federations to compete for unprecedented financial prizes totaling $10 million, as an “incubator for change.”
An all-black indoor track, a long jump pit filled with pink sand, enhanced graphics and fast-paced coverage designed specifically for television, particularly to target a younger audience, are the highlights of this new, more spectacle-themed tournament.
“At first glance, even though it is still early, it seems that the matter has largely succeeded,” Ko told reporters in Budapest.
He added: “The athletes were uniquely positive. “From the initial assessment, I think we are in a good position.”
He continued: “We are a conservative sport by nature, and I think we have moved away from the risk-averse side a little, perhaps not much, but it is a start.”
Ko pointed out that the atmosphere was “very wonderful” during 3 evenings full of competitions.
Jamaican speed legend Usain Bolt, who won 19 world titles, said during a busy career that he wished such financial prizes were available when he was competing.
He added: “It is a big thing. It is good for the sport and motivates the athletes to come here and give their best and prepare fully.”
The “Ultimate” tournament brought together 26 Olympic champions from Paris 2024 against 26 world champions from last year’s Tokyo edition, in addition to 25 winners of the Diamond League for the 2026 season.
“It is a good step, a first step towards changing athletics for the better,” Bolt said. "I think the athletes love it, it's a different energy and a different atmosphere."
With 28 competitions being held in a fast-paced, made-for-TV format, Coe described the current generation of athletes as “will be remembered.”
He said: “Over the past two or three years, I have felt that we now have a much wider range of talent across all our competitions.”
Ko confirmed that the 2028 edition of the “Ultimate” tournament will be held after the Los Angeles Olympics, scheduled for July 14-30.
He said: “Whenever possible, we wanted it to be world championships, and now the Ultimate Championship, the finale of the season.”
He added: “This is important, and the athletes also welcomed it.”
Ko hosted more than 20 members of the International Olympic Committee in Budapest, in addition to the heads of the rowing, table tennis and volleyball federations.
“We all learn from each other,” he said. Not everyone who watches the 100m race wants to watch everything related to the 100m race. This is how things have changed.”
The “Ultimate” tournament received wide praise from athletes in Budapest.
Norwegian runner Carsten Warholm, the 400m hurdles champion, said: “They created a wonderful show with a different atmosphere. "I love him."
American Kenny Bednarik, champion in the 100 and 200 meters, added: “Everything is a little more exciting than at the world championships.”
American Nikki Hiltz, who finished third in the 1500 m race, said: “This event is wonderful, and it is nice that the International Association of Athletics Federations allocates $10 million to invest in its athletes. I want this award to be in every tournament!”
There were some concerns before the start of the tournament regarding the field competitions, as they did not include the women's shot put, discus throw or hammer throw.
British Jazmine Sawyers, who came second in the long jump, said: “The championship is worse without the rest of the track events.”
But Sawyers added that the event was a “wow moment” for her, and that she would use her $75,000 prize money to fund an additional year in the sport and buy a new sewing machine.
Ko admitted that the decision to exclude some competitions was difficult.
He said: “There was some concern before the start about what this might mean for us, and there were inevitable discussions about missing some competitions.”
He added: “But this is not a fixed thing that does not change. Things may look different next time.”
Spaniard Luis Enrique, coach of Paris Saint-Germain, described his team's 1-0 win over its host, Stade Brest, yesterday, Sunday, in the fourth round of the French League, as a "very important victory," despite his admission that the team did not perform at its best.
Ferran Torres scored the only goal in the fifth minute, correcting the course of the title holder in the last 5 years.
A few days ago, Torres, who scored the goal to crown Spain with the 2026 World Cup title, scored a hat-trick in a sweeping victory for his team over Slovan Bratislava with a score of 6-1 in the European Champions League.
Thus, Ferran Torres raises his score to 6 goals, in his first 5 matches in the Parisian jersey.
Saint-Germain also rose in the standings, occupying eighth place with 5 points, behind on goal difference from Brest, which is in seventh place.
Thus, Enrique breathes a sigh of relief after two draws with Rennes and Lille, a loss to Monaco in the League, and before that a loss to Lens in the French Super Cup.
Enrique said after the match: “We knew, before the match, that it would be difficult and close, as always happens when we play here. We started the match very well, and we were able to score the goal, but I wish we had more control over the course of the game, but that was difficult.”
Saint-Germain's official website quoted Enrique as saying: “We made a lot of mistakes in the second half, and it was very difficult. I think we were less good, compared to the first three league games, but unlike those games, we got the three points. "This is football."
Ferran Torres said that the match “was not the best” for Paris Saint-Germain, but he praised the team’s ability to compete and achieve victory in a stadium that he knew was difficult, adding that his personal goal is always to help the team, whether through goals, assists, or work on the field.
Goalkeeper Matvey Safonov expressed his happiness at keeping his team's clean sheet, stressing that Brest's matches are always difficult, and that the opponent creates many chances.
Safonov explained: “I am very happy that we were able to deal with those moments, and we did not concede any goal. “This is very important, and it is the first match in which we have kept a clean sheet this season, and I hope we will continue in the same vein.”
German Alexander Zverev sat in the middle of the almost empty Arthur Ashe Stadium next to his brother Misha, enjoying a rare moment of calm after one of the most important victories in his career. In front of them was the US Open Tennis Championship (Flushing Meadows) Cup, which he won after defeating American Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), 5-7, 6-2 in the final match on Sunday evening, to win his second title in the tournament. The four Grand Slam tournaments, after winning the French Open this year.
“I can enjoy this title much more than I did in (Paris),” Zverev said after the match. I was very nervous there, but now I feel very happy. "I am very happy."
Zverev, born in Hamburg, became the second German player to win the US Open title after his compatriot Boris Becker. However, his celebration of the title was not without a funny situation, as in the fourth set it seemed as if he did not realize that he had already won the match. After he scored the last point, he acted as if the match had not ended and prepared to play the next half, before looking at the scoreboard and realizing that he had achieved victory.
He said with a smile: “I thought the score was 5-1, not 6-2. I think I simply forgot the score.”
Aside from this funny situation, the coronation moment carried much deeper meanings for Zverev, after he used his speech after the match to recall some of the milestones of his career and send a touching tribute to his mother, Irina.
Addressing his team, which is led by his father, Zverev said: “We have not won a Grand Slam title for 30 years, and now we have won two titles in 3 months.”
He added: “I think God saw how hard we worked, how much we suffered, and how much pain we put in for it.”
It was not easy for Zverev to forget his previous experience in New York, when he was only two games away from winning his first major title 6 years ago, but he lost to Austrian Dominic Thiem after leading by two sets to no response.
In his confrontation with Shelton, the German player showed a greater degree of maturity and toughness, and maintained his calm in the decisive moments despite the enthusiastic atmosphere created by the American fans in the largest tennis stadiums in the world.
The crowd went from enthusiastic encouragement for Shelton to warm applause for Zverev when he spoke about his mother, whom he described as “the most important woman” in his life.
The German player recalled memories of being diagnosed with diabetes when he was four years old, saying that his mother showed great strength during that period. She left the doctor's office saying: “My son will achieve everything he sets his mind to.” “If he wants to be a tennis player, he will become a tennis player.”
After achieving his second Grand Slam title, Zverev faces another major goal, which is to reach the top of the world rankings. The gap separating him from Italian Jannik Sinner has shrunk from more than 5,000 points to less than 2,000 points, in light of Sinner's absence from the US Open due to injury.
Zverev said: “I will remain focused during the remainder of the year, and I will do everything in my power to achieve results that give me a chance to become number one in the world.”
Boris Becker, who currently works as a television analyst, believes that it is “a matter of time” for his compatriot to reach the top of the world rankings.
Becker said: “I have always said that he can easily win five Grand Slam titles if he can adjust his mentality and playing style. This young man knows how to play tennis, and the question relates to how he mentally deals with pressure situations, and he succeeded this year in dealing with them.”
Zverev thus crowned an exceptional season in the Grand Slam tournaments, after he reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open, then won the Roland Garros title, and reached the Wimbledon final before losing to Sinner.
At the level of German players, only Becker, who has six titles, surpasses him in the number of Grand Slam titles.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz congratulated Zverev on the X platform, describing his victory in New York as a “deserved victory.”
