Keely Hodgkinson and Josh Kerr will not receive medals at the inaugural Ultimate Championship despite finishing in the top three of their events, as the new competition abandons the traditional gold, silver and bronze awards.
Kerr won the men's 1500m, while Hodgkinson finished second in the women's 800m. However, the winner-takes-all format means Kerr received a special trophy rather than a gold medal, and Hodgkinson got no medal at all. A cash prize is still on offer, but neither athlete had anything to put around their neck as they would at the Olympic Games or World Championships.
World Athletics explains medal decision
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe explained the move: “We have made an intentional decision to move away from medals as the awards at the Ultimate Championship.” All competitors receive a participation token, with the winner's token connecting with their trophy.
“This global championship is all about striving to be the one athlete who comes out on top,” Lord Coe added. “Distributing awards for the top three didn’t feel true to that foundational concept, so we are instead focused on the trophies given to the winners of each discipline.”
Hodgkinson faces fierce competition
Hodgkinson, Olympic champion in 2024, has been chasing a long-standing world record but recently faced strong competition from Swiss star Audrey Werro. Werro, the fastest woman in the world this year over 800m, won European Championships gold before adding the Ultimate Championship title in Budapest on Saturday. She earned £110,000 for her victory, twice as much as Hodgkinson.
Hodgkinson spoke positively about the level of talent: “I honestly love it. I think it's really great for our sport and for women's sport to have so many amazing women pushing each other.” She finished ahead of Femke Broeders-Bol, the reigning 400m hurdles world champion.
“I'm happy to be part of it. Hopefully, next time, I'll come out on top. I'm always there fighting. That's something to be proud of and take into the future. I'm only 24 and hopefully I'll be around for a lot longer.”
Kerr caps stunning year with victory
Kerr's win capped a remarkable year. He broke the mile world record in July, followed up with a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games, and then beat Australia's Cam Myers to the Ultimate Championship crown.
“I think this sport has moved on the last few years and pressed to where it can be more exciting and anything that can push this sport on to make it more entertaining for people to watch and athletes to go out and compete,” Kerr told BBC Sport after his victory.
“There is one more thing that we can do to get it right and that is to let athletes wear their own brands vs their country. I love my country and competing for them but we don't make money for that.”
