Olyslagers and Patterson open Ultimate campaign

The first ever World Athletics Ultimate Championship is underway in Budapest and Australia’s stars have wasted no time in making their mark, as high jumpers Nicola Olyslagers and Eleanor Patterson hit the podium.

The new-look championship featured a black infield amongst a host of innovations, which set the scene for reigning world champion Olyslagers (New South Wales Institute of Sport – NSWIS – scholarship holder, Matt Horsnell) to soar to second place with a 1.95m clearance.

Olyslagers was joined on the podium by Diamond League champion Patterson (NSWIS, Fayaaz Caan) who clinched equal third place with at 1.91m, as athletes struggled to find their absolute best in cold conditions.

It was world record holder Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR) who would emerge from her sleeping bag to spoil the Australian party, snatching the win with a 1.99m performance to finish 2026 on top.

“Tonight was a lot of fun, I felt like it was a mixture between a reality TV show and a World Championships,” Olyslagers said. “The conditions made it a challenge to get the right rhythm, which meant all of us were missing heights that would usually be easy, but I celebrated making that 1.95m like it was 2.05m!”

“I had a few challenges this year, I learned how to win and how to lose, but I grew as a person off the track. I am confident nothing is wasted and it’s preparing me in the best way for the future.”

Pole vaulter Kurtis Marschall (WA, Declan Carruthers) held his nerve in his 21^st and final competition of 2026 when finishing in fourth place, navigating a challenging path to a height of 5.95m.

The harsh progressions meant Marschall had no option but to pass after failing his first attempt at 5.80m, also missing his first attempt at 5.95m before delivering a clutch third and final-attempt clearance.

The Australian missed the podium on countback, as the event was won by world record holder Armand Duplantis (SWE) at 6.20m – his theme song blasting around the stadium.

The Men’s 5000m saw Ky Robinson (QLD, Dathan Ritzenhein) finish in ninth place in a time of 13:04.09, but the national record holder was far from a passenger on the train that was led by Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) who roared to victory in 12:59.24.

Robinson took up the lead in the final kilometre and pushed the pace in what was a tactical affair, showing the field into the final lap where he lost his positioning and struggled to recover in the world-class contest.

Sarah Billings (VIC, Nic Bideau) safely advanced to the Women’s 800m Final after producing a big finish in the semi-finals, biding her time at the back of the field before unleashing in the home straight to cross the line in 1:58.37.

The 2026 World Athletics Ultimate Championship is being held in Budapest, Hungary from September 11-13, featuring 12 Australian athletes.

Lachlan Moorhouse, Australian Athletics