Britain’s fastest man Zharnel Hughes has suffered an Olympics injury scare after pulling out of this weekend's European Championship.
Hughes, who was among the favourites to win the 100m in Rome, hurt a hamstring racing in Jamaica on Saturday night. And last year's world championship bronze medalist has less than four weeks to be fighting fit for the British Olympic trials, which are being held in Manchester on June 28-29.
Matthew Hudson-Smith has also withdrawn from the Euros less than a week on from breaking his own continental record in the 400m but is not injured, while Imani-Lara Lansiquot and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake are no longer set to compete over the 100m and 200m respectively.
GB have named a team of almost 70 for the championships, with Keely Hodgkinson, Molly Caudery and Katarina Johnson-Thompson among the gold medal hopefuls.
Meanwhile the athletics calendar is set to receive a major shake up from 2026 after the sport’s governing body announced a new biennial competition featuring a prize fund worth a record £7.9m.
Paralympic athlete and coach Hughes, 63, dies unexpectedly after Team GB success
The inaugural Ultimate Championship will be held in Budapest from September 11-13, 2026 and will see eight to 16 of the highest-ranked athletes per event battle for a winning prize of £118,000.
It follows World Athletics’ divisive decision to become the first discipline that offers prize money to Olympic champions.
Gold medallists in Paris will receive £39,000, a move that has been criticised behind the scenes by the IOC and heads of other sports’ governing bodies.
Seb Coe says he sees "no concern" that the Olympic Games' ethos will be compromised by introducing prize money.Beyond World Athletics’ drive to improve financial rewards for its biggest stars, the Ultimate Championship is their latest attempt to engage younger audiences.
"With only the best of the best on show and cutting straight to semi-finals and finals, we will create an immediate pressure to perform for athletes," president Seb Coe said.
"The World Athletics Ultimate Championship will be high on action and excitement for fans, setting a new standard for track and field events.
"Featuring athletics’ biggest stars, it will be a must-watch global sports event and means track and field will host a major global championship in every single year, ensuring for the first time that athletics will enjoy a moment of maximum audience reach on an annual basis."
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