Rai Benjamin, Mondo Duplantis Chase New Triple Crown At The World Ultimate Championships 2026

With the World Ultimate Championships approaching, four athletes will be chasing Track and Field's newest Triple Crown.

Sep 10, 2026 by John Davern

Rai Benjamin After Hitting a 400m Personal Record at the Prefontaine Classic7:21

The inaugural World Ultimate Championships are approaching, and despite my skepticism about its overall structure and place on the schedule (that’s a discussion for a later day) - the strength of fields give this year’s meet some real weight

Longevity is a hard thing to find in this sport. It’s even harder to find longevity mixed with dominance. Four athletes will arrive in Budapest with an opportunity that no one else has - completing what I’ve dubbed as the Triple Crown.

That would mean an athlete has won the 2024 Olympic Games, the 2025 World Outdoor Championships and are now vying to win the 2026 World Ultimate Championships in the same discipline.

Rai Benjamin, Emmanuel Wanyonyi, Mondo Duplantis and Ethan Katzberg.

Let’s talk about them.

Men’s 400mH - Rai Benjamin

Rai Benjamin has been focused on the open-400m this year, and has found some success in that regard. Two weeks ago, he broke 44-seconds for the first time as he ran 43.83 for second at the Silesia Diamond League Meeting.

He has only raced one 400mH race in 2026 - resulting in a win at the Lausanne Diamond League Meeting (though that race wasn’t a Diamond League Discipline on that day).

The 400mH has gone nuclear in 2026, with Alison dos Santos taking the event to new heights. He broke the World Record at the Zurich Diamond League Meeting with his 45.80. So while Benjamin was re-inventing himself in a new event, dos Santos was re-inventing the 400mH.

At the beginning of the year, it seemed like a decent idea for Benjamin to try his hand at the flat-four - but that transition may have come at a bad time as dos Santos has been able to capitalize, and it may leave Benjamin reeling in Budapest.

It’ll be difficult for Benjamin to come away with the win in either/both the 400mH or 400m in Hungary this weekend - but can we really blame him?

After all, he could podium in both events this weekend and would walk away with a BAG.

Men’s 800m - Emmanuel Wanyonyi

Emmanuel Wanyonyi has an opportunity to strengthen his already ludicrous resume, at just 22-years-old.

Last week, Wanyonyi expanded his Diamond League Final win-streak to four-straight, winning the 800m Diamond Trophy every year since 2023. Last weekend, he ran 1:41.80, four-hundredths off of his season-best of 1:41.76 from Zurich.

He will face stiff competition from Brandon Miller, who has been the best American on the pro circuit in 2026, and fellow Olympic Medalists Marco Arop (Silver - 2024) and Djamel Sedjati (Bronze - 2024). All three have run 1:42.19 or faster this season.

Donavan Brazier is also in the field but he hasn’t had the best 2026 campaign to this point.

All signs point to Wanyonyi as the heavy favorite, come final-time on Sunday, at 1:41 PM ET.

Men’s Pole Vault - Mondo Duplantis

Mondo is in an interesting spot.

He was a very late scratch out of the Diamond League Final in Brussels. During warm-ups he experienced some tightness and opted not to risk his health by vaulting. He has been experiencing the same issue throughout the season - but nevertheless has challenged World Record bars.

If he is still on the mend, Emmanouil Karalis could take this opportunity away from Duplantis.

The Men’s Pole Vault is slated for Friday at 2:08 PM ET.

Men’s Hammer Throw - Ethan Katzberg

In Paris, Katzberg became the youngest Olympic Champion ever in the men’s hammer throw. He carried that momentum to Tokyo in 2025 and set a North American Record en route to his 84.70m Title there.

Now he sets his sights on the World Ultimate Title in a season in which he is undefeated. He has most notably collected wins at the Commonwealth Games, at the Silesia Diamond League Meeting and at the Pre Classic.

Bence Halász will serve as Katzberg’s biggest threat. The Olympic Silver Medalist threw a personal best 84.25m to win the European Championship this year. He has collected a number of high profile wins in 2026.

Not In The Conversation

Some athletes will not have the chance to earn a triple crown. Camryn Rogers for example, won the 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2025 World Outdoor Championships in the Women’s hammer throw.

The Men’s and Women’s Shot Put was a surprise omission from the World Ultimate Championships - a move that I can’t fully reconcile. The Shot Put is arguably the most popular among the throwing disciplines and the women have punished World Athletics for not including the event at World Ultimates.

In 2026, both Chase Jackson and Jess Schilder have thrown over 21m, with Jackson most recently breaking the American Record in Brussels with a 21.14m throw.

On the other hand, we also have some athletes opting out of the World Ultimate Championships. Take Hamish Kerr (Men’s HJ), Faith Kipyegon (Women’s 1500m), Beatrice Chebet (5000m), and Tara Davis-Woodhall (Women’s LJ).

Each with their own, understandable reasons and circumstances. They would have otherwise been in contention for the Triple Crown.

The Odd’s Of A Triple Crown

Of the four, Wanyonyi and Katzberg have the clearest paths to a Triple Crown. If Duplantis is healthy - he remains the overwhelming favorite (despite pressure from Karalis. Rai Benjamin faces the tallest battle - with dos Santos and Warholm both threatening in an event that they’ve each focused on.

World Athletics Ultimate Championships Schedule

Friday, September 11

1:08 PM ET - Mixed 4x100m Relay Final
1:13 PM ET - Women’s High Jump Final
1:19 PM ET - Men’s 400m Semifinal
1:23 PM ET - Men’s Hammer Throw Final
1:38 PM ET - Women’s 400m Semifinal
2:04 PM ET - Women’s 100m Hurdles Semifinal
2:08 PM ET - Men’s Pole Vault Final
2:21 PM ET - Men’s 110m Hurdles Semifinal
2:36 PM ET - Men’s 5000m Final
2:53 PM ET - Women’s Long Jump Final
2:57 PM ET - Women’s 800m Semifinal
3:20 PM ET - Women’s 100m Hurdles Final
3:49 PM ET - Men’s 110m Hurdles Final

Saturday, September 12

12:08 PM ET - Women’s 400m Final
12:13 PM ET - Women’s Javelin Throw Final
12:18 PM ET - Men’s 400m Final
12:26 PM ET - Men’s 800m Semifinal
12:43 PM ET - Women’s Pole Vault Final
12:46 PM ET - Women’s 400m Hurdles Semifinal
1:04 PM ET - Women’s 100m Semifinal
1:21 PM ET - Men’s 100m Semifinal
1:36 PM ET - Women’s 1500m Final
1:44 PM ET - Men’s Long Jump Final
1:57 PM ET - Men’s 400m Hurdles Semifinal
2:18 PM ET - Women’s 800m Final
2:38 PM ET - Women’s 100m Final
2:49 PM ET - Men’s 100m Final

Sunday, September 13

12:08 PM ET - Women’s 400m Hurdles Final
12:13 PM ET - Men’s Javelin Throw Final
12:18 PM ET - Men’s 200m Semifinal
12:36 PM ET - Men’s 400m Hurdles Final
12:44 PM ET - Women’s 200m Semifinal
1:04 PM ET - Men’s High Jump Final
1:10 PM ET - Women’s 5000m Final
1:34 PM ET - Women’s Triple Jump Final
1:41 PM ET - Men’s 800m Final
1:53 PM ET - Mixed 4x400m Relay Final
2:12 PM ET - Men’s 1500m Final
2:38 PM ET - Men’s 200m Final
2:49 PM ET - Women’s 200m Final

FloTrack Archived Footage

Video footage from each event will be archived and stored in a video library for FloTrack subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscriptions.

Join The Track & Field Conversation On Social

Follow us on Twitter @FloTrack
Follow us on Instagram @flotrack
Follow us on TikTok @flotracktv
Watch us on YouTube
Like us on Facebook