By Kyle Merber
August 26, 2026
Rules were made to be broken, especially if you’re the one who made the rules. That seemed to be what the legal minds at World Athletics thought when they carved out a near-perfect loophole: “what if we put in a rule that says Seb Coe can do whatever he wants?” They gave him nearly unlimited power to dictate the fields at the World Ultimate Championships… but they should have given him more!
The Exceptional Invitation to World Ultimates was intended to max out at one per event. But we quickly learned, well, it wasn’t enough. Aside from a cohort of Hungarian athletes—given spots as thanks to Budapest for hosting the party—and a well-deserving Gianmarco Tamberi in the high jump, there was an impossible decision for Coe to make: Josh Kerr or Jakob Ingebrigtsen? So he just said “screw it, let ‘em both in.”
Although the field has been expanded to 13 athletes to avoid bumping someone deserving out, surely the likes of Ethan Strand and Phanuel Koech are wondering, “what about me?” But for the large majority of fans the Kerr and Ingebrigtsten news was received quite warmly because it’s a match-up that we all want to see—given their rivalry, the presence of both in the race adds some serious spice in addition to even more talent. And with this decision World Athletics is giving us a nod and a wink to remind us: this is an entertainment product!
Given the precedent and bylaws surrounding the Olympics and World Championships, this sort of leniency would never fly at a regular global championship. But Ultimates is not about fairness and should you need a reminder of that then just ask the shot putters, who will be watching from the couch like the rest of us. Even at its least conventional, track and field is thankfully not the Savannah Bananas. The competition itself is still serious. But with this move, we are veering into UFC territory, which is very popular.
A fascinating byproduct of Ultimates being an exclusive event is the lack of quotas by country, meaning entries aren’t limited to three. Depending on what matters to each individual fan—or perhaps just where they’re from—that might lend them to interpret this lack of diversity as a good or bad thing. The good is all the best athletes will be there. The bad is some major markets like Japan, China, Germany, and Brazil, will suddenly have a fraction of the presence they’d be accustomed to.
Let’s compare the number of athletes that competed at 2025 Worlds vs. those projected to be at Ultimates:
- Japan - 70 down to 3
- Germany - 63 down 5
- China - 57 down to 2
- Brazil - 42 down to 3
Not including relays, the U.S. leads the way with 64 athletes, then Jamaica (28), Great Britain (17), Australia (13), Ethiopia (13), Kenya (12), and France (11).
This newsletter has long argued that every season should start as a clean slate with no performances from previous years carrying over for automatic bids or ranking points. But this year is different—it’s headlined by a new event that unequivocally NEEDS the stars to show up to establish its long term viability. Hence all the different paths being taken to ensure they’re there.
To aid with that, World Athletics has gotten creative. There isn’t another professional sport that is embedding its own stars into the production of the event like this, with Mondo Duplantis singing the theme song, Noah Lyles hosting the after party, Tara Davis-Woodhall leading the content creation. If we may adjust our tinfoil hats for a moment, the compensation those athletes will receive for work provided is definitely NOT an appearance fee!
All that to say, Citius Mag has booked its flights and will be on the scene with enthusiastic coverage. And we are going in with an open mind for future iterations, which will likely evolve to improve. With that said, regardless of any hiccups in its first go-round, World Ultimates is gonna feature some incredible competition.
With just over two weeks to go, here are the top storylines that have us most excited for Budapest:
The Olympic 1500m Rematch: Who doesn’t love a re-run? Obviously with the top four finishers—Hocker, Kerr, Yared Nuguse, and Ingebrigtsen—now all in, we’re dying to witness a second crack at one of the greatest 1500m races in history. Can Kerr hold on? Is there enough time for Jakob? Will Cole peak again? And can Yared get his turn?
A New Queen Crowned: Unfortunately, Faith Kipyegon had to call it a season due to health issues, however, without the three-time Olympic and four-time World champion in the field, it opens the door to an heiress. Georgia Hunter Bell has won three major golds already this year, Tsige Duguma is figuring out the 1500m quickly, Jess Hull is always right there, and Nikki Hiltz is Nikki Hiltz.
Double Trouble: 90 seconds. That’s what Rai Benjamin’s personal bests at the 400m Hurdles (46.17) and open 400m (43.83) add up to. It may not sound like much, but he’s going to have to race four times in three days if he’s going to come away with the $300,000 he’s eligible to earn. Benjamin dominated his only 400m Hurdles race in Lausanne, but he has yet to face Alison dos Santos or Karsten Warholm this year. Meanwhile, Collen Kebinatshipi is 3-0 against him on the flat, but one could argue he’s still figuring out the event.
What do these plotlines have in common? They’re dependent on enticing the best to show up, the rest be damned. If there’s one rule World Athletics appears to be committed to sticking to, it’s “quality over quantity.” Exceptional exceptions may not be fair in the letter-of-the-law sense, but they’re effective tools in service of delivering the best possible product, which World Ultimates is designed specifically to present.
At the end of the meet, track and field fans—especially the casuals we’re desperate to turn into diehards – won’t be thumbing through the terms and conditions to decide whether or not they enjoyed the meet; they’ll be thinking about the races themselves and how satisfied they, as viewers, feel. By that measure, bringing Josh and Jakob back together is a move that falls squarely between the lines.
Kyle Merber
Kyle Merber is a former professional miler turned media multi-hyphenate. While he’s not above dropping a quick “back in my day,” he’s far more focused on the present. Since 2021, he has brought his signature analysis and commentary to track fans across the CITIUS MAG network. When he’s not writing The Lap Count or hopping on podcasts, Kyle manages partnerships and pitches a relentless stream of ideas for Chris to consider. He might not be running a 3:52 mile anymore, but he keeps himself in just good enough shape to ensure the athletes still respect him.
