Mark English and Sharlene Mawdsley Among Irish Athletes Heading to Inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest
Mark English and Sharlene Mawdsley are among the Irish athletes set to compete at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest from 11 to 13 September, a new biennial event designed as a season-closing showcase for the world's elite athletes and carrying a total prize purse of US$10 million. English, who claimed gold in the men's 800m at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham last month, is ranked seventh in the world in his event and will be one of the most watched Irish athletes at the National Athletics Centre in the Hungarian capital.
Background
The World Athletics Ultimate Championship is a new competition established by World Athletics to serve as a high-profile, season-ending event in years without a standard World Athletics Championship. The inaugural edition in Budapest is designed to appeal to younger audiences through a fast-paced, three-day format featuring 28 selected events, with strictly limited fields — 16 athletes in individual track events, 8 in field events, and 8 relay teams — ensuring that only the highest-calibre competition takes place.
Invitations to the event are extended to champions from the most recent Summer Olympics, World Championships, and Diamond League finals, with the remaining spots filled via the World Athletics Rankings. The prize structure is designed to reflect the elite nature of the competition: individual gold medallists will earn US$150,000, with significant prizes for silver and bronze as well. The total prize purse of US$10 million makes it one of the richest athletics events in history.
For Irish athletics, the qualification of English and Mawdsley for the event is a significant achievement, coming on the back of a historic summer that saw Ireland win four medals at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham — gold for English and Kate O'Connor, silver for Rhasidat Adeleke, and bronze for Andrew Coscoran. The depth of that performance has established Ireland as one of the leading athletics nations in Europe, and the Budapest event provides an opportunity to test that status against the best in the world.
Key Developments
Mark English's qualification for the Budapest event is the culmination of a remarkable career trajectory. The 33-year-old from Donegal, who is also a qualified doctor, has been one of the most consistent middle-distance runners in Europe for more than a decade, winning bronze medals at the 2014 and 2022 European Championships before finally claiming gold in Birmingham last month. His world ranking of seventh in the men's 800m reflects the quality of his recent performances and places him in contention for a medal at the Budapest event, where he will face the world's best 800m runners including the Olympic champion and the Diamond League winner.
Sharlene Mawdsley, who is ranked 14th in the world in the women's 400m, has had a breakthrough season in 2026, improving her personal best and establishing herself as one of the leading 400m runners in Europe. Her qualification for the Budapest event is a significant milestone for Irish sprinting, which has been transformed in recent years by the emergence of Rhasidat Adeleke as a world-class 200m and 400m runner. Mawdsley's presence at the event alongside Adeleke — who is ranked 17th in the women's 200m and is on the bubble for qualification — reflects the depth of Irish sprinting talent.
Andrew Coscoran, who won bronze in the men's 1500m in Birmingham, and Sarah Healy, who has been one of the most consistent Irish distance runners of recent years, are both outside the primary qualification quota but remain within a close margin and could yet secure places if other athletes withdraw.
Why It Matters
The World Athletics Ultimate Championships matters for Irish athletics because it provides a platform to compete against the world's best in a high-profile, well-resourced event that will attract significant global media attention. For English in particular, the Budapest event is an opportunity to demonstrate that his European gold was not a one-off but the product of a sustained improvement in his competitive level. A medal at the Ultimate Championships would cement his status as one of the great Irish middle-distance runners and would provide a fitting conclusion to what has already been the best season of his career.
More broadly, the event matters because it reflects the growing ambition of Irish athletics. A decade ago, the idea of multiple Irish athletes qualifying for a world-class invitational event on the basis of their world rankings would have seemed far-fetched. The fact that it is now a reality is a testament to the investment that Athletics Ireland has made in its high-performance programme and to the quality of the coaching and support structures that have been developed around the national team.
Local Impact
In Donegal, where English grew up and where he is a well-known figure, his qualification for the Budapest event has been celebrated with genuine pride. Letterkenny Athletic Club, where he began his career, has been following his progress closely, and local schools have been using his story as an example of what is possible for young athletes from the county. In Tipperary, where Mawdsley is based, her qualification has similarly generated local pride and media attention. Athletics Ireland has indicated that it will provide live coverage of the Budapest event through its social media channels, allowing Irish fans to follow the performances of English, Mawdsley, and any other Irish athletes who secure places.
What's Next
The World Athletics Ultimate Championships takes place at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest from 11 to 13 September. English is expected to compete in the men's 800m on the second day of the event, with Mawdsley in the women's 400m on the first day. Athletics Ireland will confirm the full Irish team for the event in the coming days, once the final qualification window has closed and any withdrawals from other athletes have been processed. The event will be broadcast live on World Athletics' digital platforms, with RTÉ Sport expected to provide highlights coverage.
