Lyles yet to sign up for Ultimate Championship

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World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025 - Mens 200m Medal Ceremony - Japan National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan - September 20, 2025 Gold medallist Noah Lyles of the U.S. celebrates on the podium REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

TOKYO - Noah Lyles says he is not sure to run in next years inaugural Ultimate Championship in a potentially huge blow to World Athletics new event that is supposed to showcase the best of the best over three days in Budapest.

Fresh from securing his fourth successive world 200 metres title, the 28-year-old Lyles said a September return to Budapest, where he did the world championships sprint double in 2023, is far from guaranteed.

Me and World Athletics are still in talks on whether Ill even go to Ultimate Championship, he told Reuters in an interview at his Adidas Tokyo HQ on Saturday.

Theyve claimed that they want to get athletes more involved. We plan to have more talks in the future about that and what that could mean.

The Ultimate Championship has been introduced by the sports governing body to fill the void in a non-global championship year, with two editions of the world championships and the Olympics filling three of every four.

It will have a prize fund of $10 million, with winners receiving $150,000 - by far the biggest prize available in the sport.

It will take place from September 11-13, with no heats, just a high-octane succession of track and field finals featuring the world and Olympic champions and