After over two years of talking and planning, the World Athletics Ultimate Championships happens this weekend in Budapest at the Nemzeti Atlétikai Központ or National Athletics Centre (photo courtesy World Athletics), where the 2023 world championships took place.
Five athletes with Washington ties are scheduled to compete in this first edition of the Ultimate Championships: Hana Moll and Katie Moon in the pole vault, Gianna Woodruff in the 400 hurdles, Brandon Miller in the 800, and Josh Kerr in the 1500.
Moll is currently attending the University of Washington, while Woodruff is a graduate of the UW. Moon resided in Pullman and was a volunteer coach at Washington State, while training under former WSU jumps coach Brad Walker; and Miller & Kerr are members of the Seattle based Brooks Beasts pro team.
The meet gets underway on Friday; however, none of the five will compete on Friday.
Saturday, Moll, Moon, Woodruff and Miller are all in action. In the case of Moll and Moon, the women's pole vault is a straight final with eight women in the field.
Woodruff and Miller, who are competing in races involving lanes, must run a semifinal round to advance to Sunday's final in their events, while Kerr races on Sunday in a straight final.
Unlike the world championships and the Olympics, three of the five earned their spots at the Ultimate Championships based on their world ranking on September 1st.
Moon got her spot in the Ultimate Championships by winning the World Championships in Tokyo last year, while Kerr was the beneficiary of a provision from World Athletics where meet management was allowed to invite certain unranked athletes based on exceptional performances during the season.
In Kerr's case, he got his invitation based on breaking the world record in the mile in July, where he ran 3:42.66 at the London Diamond League meet.
While this is an invitation-only meet, all athletes will wear national team uniforms, instead of their school or shoe company sponsors' kit.
Here's a quick rundown on the five competing in Budapest:
HANA MOLL--Pole Vault, USA
World Rank: 6
Personal & Season Best: 16-1.25 (4.91m), Brussels, 5 September
Hana's profile: https://worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/hana-moll-14912947
After nine indoor and outdoor meets competing for the University of Washington, in which she won the B1G Ten and NCAA indoor titles, the B1G Ten outdoor crown, and a runner-up finish at the NCAA outdoors, an accomplishment that any other vaulter would take with no complaints, Moll hit her stride in the month of August.
Before August, she competed in two Diamond League stops, finishing fourth at the Nike Prefontaine Classic (non-Diamond League scoring event), and seventh at the Herculis meeting in Monaco.
After the Diamond League series resumed in August after the national and continental championship break, the UW rising senior rattled off three straight Diamond League wins in Lausanne (15-10.5/4.84m), Zürich (16-0.75/4.90m), and the finals in Brussels (16-1.25/4.91m).
The only loss Moll took in August was a third place finish in Bellinzona, Switzerland, where she finished third (15-3.75/4.67m).
KATIE MOON--Pole Vault, USA
World Rank: 4
Personal Best: 16-2.75 (4.95m), 2021
Season Best: 15-9 (4.80m), Eugene, 3 July
Katie's profile: https://worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/katie-moon-14373744
2026 was always going to be a low-key year for Moon, after five straight seasons of competing for either world or Olympic titles.
In that five year span, Moon's won three world championships, an Olympic gold and silver medal, and two Diamond League finals.
This season, her highest finish in Diamond League meets have been three third place finishes in Rabat (15-5/4.70m), Lausanne (15-2.75/4.64m), and Zürich (15-7/4.75m). She was second in the non-scoring Diamond League meet in Eugene (15-9/4.80m).
GIANNA WOODRUFF--400 Hurdles, Panama
World Rank: 5
Personal Best: 52.66, 2025
Season Best: 53.56 Brussels, 4 September
Gianna's Profile: https://worldathletics.org/athletes/panama/gianna-woodruff-14423522
One of the most consistent racers on the circuit, Woodruff ran in all six Diamond League meets plus the finals in Brussels, where she ran her season best of 53.56.
Woodruff's best placings in Diamond League competition were three fourth place finishes in Rabat, Oslo, and the finals in Brussels.
The Washington alum won the Central American Games 400 hurdles title in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where she ran 53.98 in the finals.
BRANDON MILLER--800 Meters, USA
World Rank: 6
Personal & Season Best: 1:42.19, London, 18 July
Brandon's Profile: https://worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/brandon-miller-14939097
After a third place finish in the Diamond League meet in Shaoxing/Keqiao, China, where he ran 1:44.00, Miller rattled off a four meet winning streak over 800 meters, capped off by a 1:42.19 effort at the London Diamond League meet on July 18th, where he beat defending Olympic and world champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi, just a week after the Kenyan set the world record in the 1000 meters.
Miller ran a 2026 US leading mark of 1:14.08 to win the 600 at the Stumptown Twilight in Portland, despite competing with a slight cold on August 15th. Miller, who competes for the Brooks Beasts, finished third at the Lausanne Diamond League meet, running 1:42.55.
Despite qualifying for the Diamond League finals in Brussels, Miller declined to compete in the meet, opting to save his efforts for the Ultimate Championships.
JOSH KERR--1500 Meters, Great Britain
World Rank: 84
Personal & Season Best: 3:27.62, London, 18 July (en route to 3:42.66 mile WR)
Josh's Profile: https://worldathletics.org/athletes/great-britain-ni/josh-kerr-14533464
After winning the world indoor title in March over 3000 meters, where he ran 7:35.56 in Torun, Poland, the member of the Brooks Beasts has raced sparingly in 2026.
Kerr opened his outdoor season with two 800 meter races, both in Los Angeles. He ran his personal best of 1:44.60 at the LA Track Fest in May at UCLA, then returned in June to run 1:45.46 at the USATF LA Grand Prix.
All this was just a buildup to the mile at the London Diamond League meet on July 18th, where he declared at the end of March that he was aiming to set the world record in the mile.
Kerr broke the 27-year old world record of 3:43.13, set by Morocco's Hicham El Guerrouj running 3:42.66. In the process, he went through 1500 meters in a British national record of 3:27.62.
Josh ran 3:54.12 to win on August 1st, the Commonwealth Games mile in Glasgow, Scotland, just a 50-minute drive from his hometown of Edinburgh.
Kerr received an exceptional performers' bye into the meet from World Athletics along with Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen, as he did not have enough points and races in the qualifying period to rank in the top twelve.
Kerr declined to run any races after the national and continental championship window, including the Diamond League final in Brussels, to concentrate on winning the Ultimate Championship over 1500 meters.
TIME SCHEDULE--WORLD ULTIMATE CHAMPS (all times listed are Pacific time)
wPV: Hana Moll, Katie Moon 9:43 am Saturday
w400H: Gianna Woodruff 9:46 am Saturday; 9:08 am Sunday
m800: Brandon Miller 9:26 am Saturday; 10:41 am Sunday
m1500: Josh Kerr 11:10 am Sunday
LINKS:
WORLD ATHLETICS ULTIMATE CHAMPIONSHIPS HOME PAGE
TELEVISION: Peacock ($) and NBC Sports in the USA