Canada’s Marco Arop clinched the second position in the men’s 800-meter final at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship held in Budapest, Hungary. Despite leading the pack in the final lap, the Edmonton native couldn’t maintain the lead and finished with a time of 1:42.28, securing the second spot. Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati surged ahead with a final kick to claim the championship title in 1:41.91, while Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi, the reigning Olympic and world champion, took third place with a time of 1:42.44.
Arop, aged 27, had a disappointing fourth-place finish at the Diamond League Final in Brussels before heading to Budapest. However, earlier in the season, he won two races with impressive times of 1:41.84 at the Meeting de Paris Diamond League and 1:42.13 at the Edmonton Athletics Invitational.
In a statement to CBC Sports’ Devin Heroux, Arop expressed his determination in the race, stating, “It’s the last race of the season, the biggest race of the season, so why not leave it all out there. I didn’t want to make it a slow race or play with tactics.”
The World Athletics Ultimate Championship does not award traditional medals; instead, athletes compete for a share of a $10 million prize pool, with each event winner earning $150,000. The competition saw American athletes Kenny Bednarek and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden emerge as double champions by sweeping the 100m and 200m titles. Bednarek won the men’s 200m final with a world-leading time of 19.52, while Jefferson-Wooden claimed the women’s 200m title in 21.47 after her earlier win in the 100m.
Additionally, Scottish athlete Josh Kerr capped off an exceptional season by winning the 1,500m at the Ultimate Championship, clocking in at three minutes 29.35 seconds. Kerr, who had a remarkable year with victories at world indoors and the Commonwealth Games, added the $150,000 first prize from the Ultimate Championship to his accolades.
Other notable results from the championship included American Jasmine Jones winning the women’s 400m hurdles, Brazilian Alison dos Santos securing the men’s 400m hurdles title, Ethiopia’s Likina Amebaw triumphing in the women’s 5,000m, and Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage claiming the men’s javelin title with a massive throw of 91.09 meters.