Amusan, Ofili, Brume, other Nigerian athletes get fresh $150,000 incentive to win World Championships gold in Tokyo
Top Nigerian stars led by 2022 World 100m hurdles champion, Tobi Amusan, Paris Olympics 200m, 400m and Shot Put finalists, Favour Ofili, Samuel Ogazi and Chukwuebuka Enekwechi as well as multiple global medalists, Ese Brume have been given a fresh target that will motivate them to winning the gold medal in their respective events at the 20th World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
Apart from the World champion tag, the gold medal and the $70,000 top prize money, the event will also be used to produce qualifiers for World Athletics’ new money-spinning event, the World Athletics Ultimate Championship which has been scheduled to hold in September 2026 in Budapest, Hungary.
Winners at the inaugural edition of the World Athletics Ultimate Championship, according to World Athletics, will each go away with $150,000 with second and third placed athletes in each event winning $75,000 and $40,000 respectively.
Athletes who finish from fourth down to 16th will also be rewarded with amounts ranging from $25,000 for fourth to $2,000 for 16th in individual events.
The highest a Nigerian athlete has won as prize money in track and field was the $70,000 Amusan pocketed in 2022 for emerging the World 100m hurdles champion while Ofili is in competition to win the $100,000 top prize at Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track.
The event in Budapest next years offers Nigerian athletes their biggest pay packet ever in the event but they will need to either win their events at the World Championships in Tokyo this September or, like Amusan, win their events at the Diamond League final.
Better still, they need to end the season as the best athlete in their respective event.
As many as 26 athletes have secured qualifications to the event which will be the pinnacle of the 2026 track and field season by virtue of being Paris 2024 Olympic champions.
The competition is designed to pit world champions and Olympic champions against Wanda Diamond League winners and the year’s best performing athletes, to crown the ultimate champion.
