The reigning world 400m champion heads into the World Athletics Ultimate Championship after an unbeaten Diamond League campaign and a record-breaking win in Brussels.
GAZETTE REPORTER
Collen Kebinatshipi heads into the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest with the confidence of an unbeaten Diamond League season and a record-breaking victory in Brussels.
His personal coach, Chilume Ntshwarang, says the reigning world 400m champion is ready for the September 11 to 13 competition.
“We are preparing well and I believe we are ready for it,” Ntshwarang told this publication in a brief telephone interview from Budapest.
Record Run
Kebinatshipi secured his first Diamond Trophy on Friday, September 4, after a dominant performance at the Wanda Diamond League Final in Brussels.
The 22-year-old completed an undefeated circuit season with six consecutive victories.
In Brussels, Kebinatshipi clocked 43.40 seconds in the men’s 400m, setting a Diamond League record, a meet record and a Botswana national record.
The performance moved him to joint fifth on the world all-time list for the men’s 400m and made him the first man in athletics history to break 44 seconds five times in a single season.
Alongside the Diamond Trophy, the victory earned Kebinatshipi more than P400,000 ($30,000).
“Wonderful feeling after securing the trophy as it sums up a great season we had,” Ntshwarang said.
Ultimate Stage
According to the World Athletics website, the World Athletics Ultimate Championship is the first event of its kind, bringing leading athletes together in Budapest for three nights of competition.
The biennial event features 13 individual events for men and 13 for women, comprising eight track and five field events, alongside two relay events.
Olympic champions from Paris 2024, world champions crowned in Tokyo last year and this year’s Diamond League winners automatically qualify. Athletes can also qualify through world rankings, while some may receive exceptional invitations.
Richest Prize
The championships carry a $10 million prize pot, described by World Athletics as the richest in the history of the sport.
Each individual event winner will receive $150,000, with $75,000 for second place and $40,000 for third. In the relays, the winning team will share $80,000.
The event follows World Athletics’ move to put athletes first, including becoming the first international federation to award prize money at an Olympic Games. At Paris 2024, $50,000 was paid to each gold medallist from a total prize purse of $2.4 million.