Keely Hodgkinson into final as relay team scoop prize pot
Great Britain’s mixed 4x100m relay team claimed 24,000 US dollars with a third-place finish on night one of the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest where Keely Hodgkinson cruised into Saturday’s 800m final.
The quartet of Romell Glave, Imani-Lara Lansiquot, Jeremiah Azu and Success Eduan crossed the finish in 40.26 seconds and will split the winnings (£17,750) – part of a USD10 million (£7.4m) prize pot – four ways.
Jazmin Sawyers finished second in the long jump to Italy’s Larissa Iapichino, taking home USD75,000 (£55,500), and Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen continued his incredible comeback after an 11-month Achilles-related layoff, bagging one of the individual USD150,000 (£110,000) prizes with a stunning 5,000m victory.
Organisers promised an innovative, eye-catching stage for the new championship, and the black infield with neon-lit accents – recalling the futuristic 1980s stage hit Starlight Express – largely did the job.
“I liked it!” said Hodgkinson. “I think it was fun.
“It was weird, because I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel. I’ve been talking to athletes around the world, it didn’t even feel like we were racing, we were just having a good time.
“But then it was like, OK, 10 o’clock in the morning on the track, it did feel like a World Championship. That felt good, and I think tomorrow we will raise the gear again.”
Jamaican sprint double world record-holder Usain Bolt addressed a capacity crowd of 20,557 – 60 per cent local and 40 per cent international – and there was a burst of pyrotechnics before the action properly got underway.
The philosophy behind the Ultimate, as it has begun to be called in short form, is to ensure there is a major championship to cap off non-world championship years.
Many of the 381 athletes will be drawn to Budapest by the prize pot. Ingebrigtsen, who recently returned from his layoff to defend his 5,000m European title in Birmingham, produced another brilliant finish to beat American rival Cole Hocker to the title by 0.81s.
The outspoken Norwegian is also set to revive his rivalry with Josh Kerr in the 1500m on Sunday after both men were granted special exemptions.
For Eduan, the British 200m champion, life goes back to something resembling normal on Monday when she returns to the north Manchester hospital where she is completing a midwifery degree.
“I’ve got four more left to deliver,” she said. “I arrive in Manchester on Monday afternoon, and I have a Monday night shift that day. Three nights, so I finish on Thursday morning. I’m hoping (I’ll get four), I usually do.”
Mondo Duplantis added another pole vault title to his CV with a best effort of 6.20m.
Matt Hudson-Smith qualified for Saturday’s 400m final second from heat two in 44.79s after he was pipped to the finish by the United States’ Jacory Patterson.
Yemi Mary John missed out on a place in the women’s edition by four hundredths of a second, placing fifth in her heat with only the top four advancing.
