Kipyegon sets sights on next year's World Ultimate Championships

‎The World Ultimate Championships is a newly introduced biennial event by World Athletics, which will feature the world’s top-ranked athletes battling for the title of “Ultimate Champion” with the inaugural showdown set for September 11–13, 2026. 

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‎The program will include sprints (100m, 200m, 400m, and 100m/110m hurdles), middle-distance races (800m and 1,500m) and the 5,000m for both men and women. 

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‎Field events (pole vault, high jump, long jump, hammer throw, javelin, and triple jump) will also feature alongside the relays (4x100m and 4x400m).

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‎The tournament will also feature a staggering prize pool of Sh1.3 billion (US$10 million) with the individual winner set to pocket Sh19.4 million ($150,000).

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‎Already confirmed for the inaugural edition are champions from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and the 2025 Tokyo World Championships. ‎Kipyegon will line up alongside fellow Kenyan stars Beatrice Chebet (the 5,000m queen from both Paris and Tokyo) and Lilian Odira, the reigning 800m world champion.

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‎On the men’s side, Emmanuel Wanyonyi is the only Kenyan athlete to have secured a wildcard courtesy of his commanding 800m triumphs in Paris and Tokyo. ‎Kipyegon holds a wildcard in the 1,500m and is ranked among the world’s top athletes in the 5,000m.

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‎"I already have the wildcard invitation in the 1,500m so we will see what will come up," Kipyegon told Citius Mag. ‎Globally, Kipyegon is ranked fifth in the 5,000m with a score of 1360, with Chebet the top-ranked athlete with a 1496 score.

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‎Kipyegon has had a standout season, which included her attempt to shatter the four-minute barrier in the Mile before going on to obliterate her own 1,500m record.

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‎"Going to the Prefontaine after attempting something special like Breaking-4 really opened my mind that the world record was possible," she added. ‎Globally, Kipyegon is ranked fifth in the 5,000m with 1,360 points, while Chebet sits atop the charts with a score of 1,496.

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‎The 31-year-old has enjoyed a phenomenal season, highlighted by her bold attempt to smash the four-minute barrier in the Mile before going on to obliterate her own 1,500m world record. ‎“Going to the Prefontaine after attempting something special like Breaking4 really opened my mind; it made me realise the world record was possible,” she reflected.

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‎On June 26 in Paris, Kipyegon took part in Nike’s special Breaking4 event, aiming to become the first woman in history to dip under four minutes for the Mile.  ‎She, however, fell just short, clocking 4:06.42. ‎Undeterred, she returned at the Prefontaine Classic on July 5, where she rewrote history, lowering her own 1,500m world record to a breathtaking 3:48.68, becoming the first woman ever to run under 3:49.

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‎A month later at the Silesia Diamond League, Kipyegon made another audacious attempt, this time at the long-standing women’s 3,000m world record of 8:06.11 set by China’s Wang Junxia in 1993. ‎She narrowly missed the mark, clocking 8:07.04.

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‎Before Kipyegon’s effort, Chebet had also come close at the Rabat Diamond League on May 25, running 8:11.56. Despite falling short, Kipyegon remains confident that the elusive record will soon fall.

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‎“I believed I was capable of breaking that record, and I still believe that one of us, either Beatrice or I, or even another athlete, can do it,” she said. ‎“It’s possible, but it’s very hard. It’s not easy.”

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‎As she contemplates moving to longer distances in the future, Kipyegon is confident that the next generation will keep Kenya’s dominance in the 1,500m alive.

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‎"They are learning a lot from me now that I am still running with them. They are getting motivated knowing that when I move to the longer distances, the 1,500m will still be safe in Kenya."

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‎"I hope they will do an amazing job, and I will leave the baton to the,m and I am confident in them because they are very strong and coming up in a very good way," she added.