Many of the sport’s biggest names have voiced their support for athletics’ new global event.
Pole vault world record holder Duplantis was named as the inaugural ‘Ultimate Star’ last summer and has collaborated on the official anthem for the championship, Gold, which he has written and performed.
“It’s super exciting. I think it was time to try something new and innovate within athletics,” Duplantis said.
“It’s tough for athletes when we have years without a championship. I think this fills the gap perfectly, you want to have some sort of climax to build towards.”
Kerr, set for a first race against rival Ingebrigtsen for two years, said the substantial increase in prize money showed how “serious” World Athletics are about the event.
However, while the 2023 world champion agrees that a global championship was needed, he accepts there is “probably going to be some confusion from the outside world about what this is”.
“If that’s what they’re willing to put forward in prize money, it means that they’re willing to put that effort into marketing and media,” said Kerr.
“We’re seeing progress. Obviously, $150,000 is a lot of money. It’s not as much as other big sports, but they’ve earned that through years of pushing their marketing.”
But not everyone is convinced.
Hurdles star Karsten Warholm has voiced his concern regarding the impact on the calendar, describing this year’s late-season schedule as “chaos”.
“I think the Diamond League is a fantastic concept that should be cultivated. It will take a long time before people understand what an Ultimate Champion is,” Warholm told Norwegian media outlet VG.
“It’s pretty much the same athletes who participate but there could be two different winners at the Diamond League final and the Ultimate Championship.
“In terms of storytelling, it’s going to be difficult. I don’t think even athletics people are keeping up.”
There is also the matter of the excluded athletes and events.
World triple jump champion Pedro Pichardo responded on social media to the decision to exclude his discipline: “I really don’t understand what your problem is, and even less so making this decision without any explanation.
“This isn’t track and field and it’s not good for our sport.”
After ending her season with victory in the Diamond League Final, world shot put champion Chase Jackson told Citius Mag: “My body is saying ‘yes’ but my pockets are saying ‘why the hell am I not at the Ultimate?’
“How [do] you have track and field and just skip events? How does that make any sense?”
