Track athletes compete for $150,000 prizes at new Ultimate Championships

Track and field athletes head to Budapest, Hungary, this week for the inaugural Ultimate Championships, a three-day meet featuring a $10 million prize pool. Top competitors including Sha'Carri Richardson, Gabby Thomas, and Mondo Duplantis are scheduled to participate in 28 events. The competition aims to address long-standing concerns regarding athlete compensation, as top finishers can earn $150,000. While standard Diamond League events typically offer between $10,000 and $20,000 for top honors, organizers intend for this event to provide a more lucrative alternative for professional sprinters, throwers, and jumpers. The meet also seeks to guarantee high-profile matchups that are often absent from the sport due to the independent contractor status of its stars. Following this weekend, some athletes will continue their seasons at Athlos, a circuit specifically for women's track events.

• 3:52 PMYahoo Sports — Track stars racing for $150K at Ultimate Championship is sign of progress and work yet to be done