At the first-ever Absolute World Athletics Championships, the organizers have abandoned the familiar format of the awards ceremony: the traditional gold, silver, and bronze medals are not provided for here. Instead, the tournament winner will be presented with a unique trophy, which will be awarded to a single athlete only — the best performer according to the competition results. This is reported by Sport RBC.UA, citing the official World Athletics page on the social network X (Twitter).
Why the podium of three was scrapped
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe explained that the very concept of the tournament is built around the idea of identifying a single best athlete, rather than a podium of three finalists. In his words, in such a format the traditional awarding of the top three places has "lost its meaning," so the organizers have opted for an exclusive award for one champion. The same logic is confirmed by the publication sport.ua, which noted that unique trophies have been presented in place of medals.
How the ceremony will take place
The awards ceremony will not take place in its usual form either: the trophy will be placed right in the sector, and the champion will collect it themselves amid the salute. Thus, the moment of presentation is integrated directly into the atmosphere of the competition, rather than being moved to a separate stage with a podium and a pedestal.
The design of the award and the role of the bracelet
By the organizers' design, the trophy's design symbolizes the idea of "stamping your name in history." The award resembles a stone sculpture with gold inlay and replicates the tournament's logo. The structure features a special slot for a personalized bracelet: such a bracelet will be received by every participant of the competition, but only in combination with the cup does it form, in the organizers' words, a "perfect composition."
Ukrainian contenders and the schedule
The historic tournament will be held on September 11–13, 2026, in Hungary. Among the contenders for the exclusive award are Ukrainian athletes: Olympic champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh has already received a personal invitation, while four more domestic athletes are competing for qualification spots through the world rankings and the Diamond League final. We remind you that Mahuchikh recently won a silver medal at a tournament in Germany — specifically at the high jump competition in Heilbronn, as can be seen from the inscription on her bib.
