Team Nigeria names Amusan, others for World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest
Team Nigeria is set to be strongly represented at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship, scheduled for September 11–13, 2026, at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest, Hungary.
The three-day championship will bring together Olympic champions, World champions, Diamond League winners and the world's leading performers of the 2026 season in a new global competition designed to crown the ultimate champions in track and field.
Nigeria's current qualified athletes include Tobi Amusan, Nathaniel Ezekiel, Samuel Ogazi, Ella Onojuvwevwo and Kayinsola Ajayi, with additional athletes still targeting qualification before the September 2 deadline.
Temitope Adeshina remains among the athletes hoping to secure qualification, while Nigeria's relay pool includes Alaba Akintola, Udodi Onwuzurike, Favour Ashe, Miracle Ezechukwu, Rosemary Chigozie and Jennifer Obi Chukwuka.
The Nigerian contingent will face an exceptional field in Budapest, with a galaxy of global champions and Olympic stars already qualified. Among the headline names are Olympic champions Mondo Duplantis, Noah Lyles, Julien Alfred, Faith Kipyegon, Yaroslavа Mahuchikh, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Rai Benjamin, and Marileidy Paulino. World champions including Femke Bol, Letsile Tebogo, Oblique Seville, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, Nicola Olyslagers and Ditaji Kambundji are also set to add to the quality of the competition.
The Ultimate Championship is expected to provide a particularly significant opportunity for Nigeria's emerging generation, with Ajayi and Ogazi among the country's young athletes making their mark on the global stage, alongside established stars like Amusan and Ezekiel.
Relay Hopes
Nigeria will also look to its relay pool to strengthen its presence in Budapest. Alaba Akintola, Udodi Onwuzurike, Favour Ashe, Miracle Ezechukwu, Rosemary Chigozie and Jennifer Obi Chukwuka are among those expected to contribute to the country's relay ambitions, subject to final qualification and selection.
The mixed relay has already demonstrated Nigeria's potential on the global stage, with Ogazi and Ella Onojuvwevwo among the athletes who helped Nigeria qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics in the mixed 4x400m relay.
With the qualification window still open until September 2, Nigeria could yet add to its representation before the team travels to Budapest.
The event carries a record US$10 million prize pot, with each individual gold medallist set to receive US$150,000.
Budapest, Hungary's historic capital, will host the competition. The National Athletics Centre, built for the 2023 World Athletics Championships on the eastern bank of the Danube, will once again host the world's leading athletes.
