For nearly a decade, Mondo Duplantis has ruled men’s pole vault, claiming every major title since his European indoor breakthrough in 2021 and pushing his own world record to new heights. With a net worth estimated between $5 million and $10 million, his trajectory is still climbing. Now, at 26, the athlete who has built a career on raising the bar is set to lift something else: his bank balance. And the new World Athletics Ultimate Championship offers fresh ways to earn on and off the runway.

Already named the inaugural Ultimate Star in August 2025, the World and Olympic champion is now stepping into the studio, with the World Athletics Ultimate Championship confirming that the 26-year-old will compose and record the event’s anthem.

“World and Olympic champion Mondo Duplantis will swap the pole vault runway for the recording studio to create the anthem for the groundbreaking World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest,” reads the statement.

“Having recently broken the world record for a 15th time with a clearance of 6.31m, the 26-year-old is pursuing his other major passion as the creative mastermind behind the musical backdrop to the event.”

That crossover isn’t entirely unexpected. The pole vault record holder has become a well-known recording artist recently, when he released his first single “Bop” in February 2025. It made the Swedish charts, topping them at 31, and Mondo then released “Feelin’ Myself” in 2026.

He later performed it live on national television and even used that song as the track for his world-record jump at the Mondo Classic in Sweden. This marks the first time an athlete will compose and record a song for an event in which they will participate. 

“I’m always looking to push the boundaries in everything I do, whether that’s on the pole vault runway or in the recording studio,” Duplantis said as per World Athletics. “I don’t just want to be an ambassador because I feel very passionate about this event. This combines my shared passions, and I’m looking forward to unveiling to the world an anthem that sums up the Ultimate Championship.”

The three-day competition has received a lot of hype over the last year, with World Athletics looking to transform the track-and-field landscape.

World Athletics Ultimate Championship has a $10 million prize pot

They’ve made the event more compact, fast-paced, and made-for-TV, but it also comes with a rather hefty prize pot. Set to kick off from 11 to 13 September 2026, the event will feature a total prize pot of $10 million, with the winners of each discipline set to earn $150,000. This move will likely set a new benchmark for financial rewards in track and field and transform how the sport operates.

“Highlighting this revolutionary competition is a record-setting prize pot of US$10 million, the largest ever offered in the history of track & field athletics – with gold medallists set to receive US$150,000,” reads the statement from World Athletics.

Athletes will get the chance to represent their own countries, and excitement is at an all-time high for the competition after the event was first announced two years ago. The momentum ramped up in August 2025 when organisers named Usain Bolt the “Ultimate Legend” for the season and also awarded Mondo Duplantis a similar title.

Duplantis is among several stars who have already qualified, alongside Tara Davis, Noah Lyles, Yaroslava Mahuchikh, Julien Alfred, Keely Hodgkinson, and others. And with 28 events across three nights in Budapest, it’ll definitely be a tournament to watch out for. Who do you think will walk away with this stunning prize? Share your thoughts below!