Beijing world championships

World Athletics Ultimate Championship: Pole vault world record holder Armand Duplantis has said athletics needs to embrace innovation ahead of the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship, while he and several other top athletes also expressed excitement about the 2027 World Athletics Championships in Beijing.

"I think it was about time to try something and innovate a bit within athletics," the 26-year-old Swede said during an online media session on Wednesday.

The inaugural Ultimate Championship will be held in Budapest from September 11 to 13. Duplantis said the new event gives elite athletes a major target in years without an Olympic Games or World Championships. "You want to have some sort of climax, and you want to build something towards the year," he said.