Klaudia Kazimierska wins 1500m in 3:57.55 at Budapest Ultimate Championship

Victory in Budapest

Klaudia Kazimierska secured first place in the women's 1500-metre race during the second day of the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest on Saturday. The Polish middle-distance runner crossed the finish line in 3 minutes 57.55 seconds to collect the Ultimate Champion 2026 trophy. She finished 0.17 seconds ahead of Great Britain's Georgia Hunter Bell, the reigning European champion. The result provided Kazimierska with a sporting reversal against Hunter Bell, who had edged her out for the gold medal at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham. The Hungarian competition runs through Sunday, bringing together titleholders across track and field.

Tactical execution and podium placings

The race unfolded at a controlled pace, eliminating the possibility of a record attempt from the early stages. French runner Agathe Guillemot took the lead and dictated the tempo for much of the distance, while Kazimierska positioned herself directly behind in second place. Kazimierska remained patient before launching an acceleration on the final lap that left the rest of the field unable to recover. She covered the concluding 400 metres in 57.44 seconds to hold off a chasing pack. Hunter Bell finished as runner-up in 3 minutes 57.72 seconds, while Nikki Hiltz of the United States placed third in 3 minutes 58.16 seconds. Ethiopia's Frewenyi Hailu took fourth place in 3 minutes 58.44 seconds, recording the same time as Kenya's Dorcus Ewoi in fifth.

Sequence of records across the 2026 season

Kazimierska's victory in Budapest continues a sequence of top finishes across the 2026 outdoor season. In July, she won two gold medals at the Polish national championships held in Bialystok. In August, she took the silver medal in the 1500 metres at the European Championships in Birmingham before reflecting on the physical toll of that contest.

That medal cost me a lot.

Later that summer, she broke the Polish national record in Chorzow and lowered it once more at the Diamond League final in Brussels. On 5 September in Brussels, she won the race in 3 minutes 54.05 seconds, defeating world championship silver medallist Dorcus Ewoi and Australia's Jessica Hull to post the fastest time in the world for 2026.

Tournament structure and financial stakes

The World Athletics Ultimate Championship is a new fixture on the international athletics calendar, established to take place in even-numbered years when no outdoor World Athletics Championships are scheduled. The Budapest event features an elite lineup consisting of Olympic champions, world champions, Diamond League winners, and top athletes invited through global ranking positions. World record holder Faith Kipyegon missed the competition due to injury, leaving the field open for the remaining top-ranked contenders. The meeting employs an abbreviated field format, admitting 16 competitors in track events and eight participants in technical jumping and throwing disciplines. The overall prize fund stands at 10 million dollars, with individual event winners receiving 150,000 dollars.