Usain Bolt has admitted he sometimes regrets competing in an era when Olympic champions received no prize money, as a new athletics competition prepares to offer a $10 million prize pool.
“I won three consecutive Olympic sprint titles and didn’t receive a single dollar,” Bolt said at the launch of the Ultimate Championship. “I definitely competed in the wrong era. I feel sorry for myself, but I’m happy for the athletes who are finally being rewarded.”
Bolt, who arrived straight from the airport for the event’s presentation, dominated the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay between 2008 and 2016, becoming one of the most recognisable figures in Olympic history.
The Jamaican said he had recently discussed the new competition with fellow sprinter Asafa Powell and welcomed both the money on offer and the concept of bringing the world’s best athletes together.
“I’ve never backed away from competing against the best,” Bolt said.
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe, meanwhile, described the $10 million prize pool as a form of “financial welfare” for athletes and stressed that nobody competing at the event would leave empty-handed.
A new model for athletics
The International Olympic Committee has never approved World Athletics’ efforts to introduce prize money at the Olympics. But the prospect of the winner in Budapest receiving $150,000 has been welcomed by athletes.
Among those competing is Italy’s Larissa Iapichino, who is the only Italian athlete in the field following the withdrawal of American Tara Davis-Woodhall. Iapichino enters the long jump as one of the favourites after a breakthrough season.
The 23-year-old set a new Italian record of 7.12 metres this year, surpassing her mother Fiona May’s mark by one centimetre, and also won the European title.
Iapichino believes the financial side of professional sport needs to be better understood.
“Everyone needs to understand that sport is a profession for us,” she said. “In other countries, athletes don’t have the same support from military institutions that we have in Italy.”
She pointed to friends in the United States who have to finance their own careers, with limited support from sponsors.
Iapichino also praised the competition’s format, which eliminates athletes immediately and moves directly towards finals.
“I like the aggressive format. It’s immediately a final,” she said.
The event will take place in a darkened stadium, with the competition area itself illuminated. Iapichino believes the setup could help spectators focus entirely on the athletes rather than being distracted by other events taking place simultaneously.
“For those watching on television, it will also make it easier to appreciate what we do without interruptions,” she said. “If you fall behind, you’re out. There is more drama, but also more adrenaline. You have to perform at your best immediately. That doesn’t scare me.”
Athletes embrace the spotlight
Iapichino arrived at the event’s red carpet in a black Armani outfit and Tiffany jewellery, while pole vault star Mondo Duplantis, also competing, opted for a double-breasted suit and dark glasses.
High jump world record holder Yaroslava Mahuchikh also welcomed the new competition. The Ukrainian, who moved to Belgium because of the war and hopes to eventually return home to train, highlighted the disparity between prize money in different sports.
“I’m happy for my compatriot Marta Kostyuk,” Mahuchikh said, referring to the Ukrainian tennis player. “But does it really make sense that reaching the first round of a Grand Slam is worth three times more than winning the Diamond League?”
“Welcome to the Ultimate Championship.”
Not every athlete has embraced the event’s red-carpet atmosphere. Italy’s Marcell Jacobs, who will compete in the 100m the following day, chose to focus on training instead.
Australian high jumper Nicola Olyslagers also admitted she felt more comfortable on the athletics track than on the red carpet.
“When I got on the bus taking us to the stadium, it felt like we were going to a party,” she said.
British middle-distance runner Georgia Hunter Bell was even more direct about what the money could mean.
“If I win $150,000, the house where I live with my husband is going to look very different,” she said.
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