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ULTIMATE CHAMPIONSHIP · BUDAPEST 2026 · FIELD

Men's pole vault prize money

Armand Duplantis won the men's pole vault at the 2026 Ultimate Championship in 6.20 m and took $150,000. Second was worth $75,000 and third $40,000, so the final paid $265,000 across its published places.

Eight athletes lined up in the final, from six countries. The championship put up $10,000,000 in all and pays every athlete in it out of that, so the athletes below third were paid too, at rates World Athletics has not published.

THE WINNER TOOK $150,000
THIS FINAL PAID $265,000
IN THE FINAL 8
COUNTRIES 6
PLACES PAID 3

The final

Budapest, 11 to 13 September 2026

$265,000 paid
The men's pole vault final at the 2026 Ultimate Championship, with what each place paid.
POS ATHLETE COUNTRY MARK PRIZE
1 Armand Duplantis Sweden SWE 6.20 m $150,000
2 Emmanouil Karalis Greece GRE 6.15 m $75,000
3 Sondre Guttormsen Norway NOR 5.95 m $40,000
4 Kurtis Marschall Australia AUS 5.95 m —
5 Zachery Bradford United States USA 5.95 m —
6 Baptiste Thiery France FRA 5.80 m —
6 Sam Kendricks United States USA 5.80 m —
8 Christopher Nilsen United States USA 5.80 m —
8 finalists 6 countries — $265,000
Armand Duplantis $150k Emmanouil Karalis $75k Sondre Guttormsen $40k

Every individual event at the championship pays the same $265,000 across three places, so this chart is the card rather than anything particular to the men's pole vault. What it shows is the shape of it: the winner takes 57% of what the event pays out. Below that the championship still pays. $10,000,000 went in and $7,090,000 of it is on the published card, so the athletes who finished outside the places above were paid out of the rest.

What the podium earns the rest of the year

The same athletes on the Diamond League money list

3 of 3
What the athletes paid in this final have earned across the Diamond League.
ATHLETE BUDAPEST DL STARTS DL WINS DIAMOND LEAGUE
Armand Duplantis Sweden $150,000 45 34 $585,750
Emmanouil Karalis Greece $75,000 24 3 $170,875
Sondre Guttormsen Norway $40,000 23 0 $64,250

One afternoon in Budapest against careers of Diamond League meetings: the series pays eight places, fifteen times a summer, at a fraction of these rates, which is what makes the $150,000 here the biggest single cheque in the sport.

Frequently asked questions

How much did the men's pole vault pay at the 2026 Ultimate Championship?

$265,000: $150,000 to Armand Duplantis, $75,000 for second and $40,000 for third.

Who won the men's pole vault in Budapest?

Armand Duplantis, in 6.20 m, for $150,000. Eight athletes lined up in the final from six countries, and eight finished with a mark.

What did second and third pay?

$75,000 and $40,000. The same three figures cover every individual event at the championship, so this final paid exactly what every other one did.

How many places does the Ultimate Championship pay?

Three in an individual event, out of a $10,000,000 pot that every athlete in the championship takes a share of. Across all 28 events that published card accounts for $7,090,000, and the $2,910,000 below it is not broken down anywhere.

Where to next

The rest of the championship

Ultimate Championship prize money holds all 28 events, the 76 athletes who were paid and the $10,000,000 that was put up. Diamond League prize money is the series most of this field races all summer.

Every other event in Budapest