Kenny Bednarek Ran Nineteen Point Five Two to Complete a Sprint Double and Take Three Hundred Thousand Dollars in Budapest
The American clocked 19.52 in the 200m a day after winning the 100m in 9.85, finishing 0.24 clear of Letsile Tebogo at the National Athletics Centre.
Kenny Bednarek won the 200m at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest on 13 September 2026, clocking 19.52 at the National Athletics Centre to complete a sprint double.
The American, who had taken the 100m in 9.85 the previous evening, finished 0.24 clear of Letsile Tebogo of Botswana, who ran 19.76. Courtney Lindsey of the United States was third in 19.79, with Sinesipho Dambile of South Africa fourth and Andre De Grasse of Canada fifth. The winning time was a world lead and moved Bednarek to seventh on the world all-time list.
Each event win at the championship was worth 150,000 US dollars, so the double earned Bednarek 300,000 dollars from a total purse of 10 million, the largest in the sport's history. The three-day meeting staged 28 events and drew 381 athletes from 65 federations.
The victories were Bednarek's first individual global titles after four previous silver medals at major championships. He said the whole event had been very nice and that coming home from Budapest with two wins was amazing. Usain Bolt attended the closing session as an ambassador for the championship.