Gianmarco Tamberi Wins Ultimate Championship With World-Leading High Jump in Budapest
- Gianmarco Tamberi won the men's high jump at the Ultimate Championship in Budapest on September 13, 2026, clearing a world-leading 2.37 meters.
- Tamberi cleared 2.37 meters on the pedana at the National Athletics Centre, marking a personal season best and his highest clearance since July 2016.
- After securing the title in the competition featuring 26 individual disciplines and a total prize pool of 10 million dollars, Tamberi attempted to clear 2.41 meters to break...
Gianmarco Tamberi won the men’s high jump at the Ultimate Championship in Budapest on September 13, 2026, clearing a world-leading 2.37 meters. The 34-year-old Italian Olympic champion secured the victory in the newly established World Athletics competition by defeating a field that included American runner-up JuVaughn Harrison, who cleared 2.30 meters.
A Season-Best Jump and a Run at the Record
Tamberi cleared 2.37 meters on the pedana at the National Athletics Centre, marking a personal season best and his highest clearance since July 2016. Tamberi entered the competition via an ad personam invitation to the eight-man elite field.
After securing the title in the competition featuring 26 individual disciplines and a total prize pool of 10 million dollars, Tamberi attempted to clear 2.41 meters to break his own Italian record. He failed to clear the bar at that height due to fatigue.
Following the victory, Tamberi celebrated by embracing his wife Chiara Bontempi and daughter Camilla in the stands, performing somersaults, and pouring a mug of Hungarian beer over his head.
Looking Ahead to Los Angeles 2028
The win in Budapest caps a strong late-season run for Tamberi, who took gold at the European Championships in Birmingham and the Mediterranean Games in Taranto before placing third at the Diamond League final in Brussels.
Reflecting on his performance and future goals, Tamberi told Sky Sport that the competition brought back memories of his peak years.
Looking forward, Tamberi stated that he intends to compete at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles with high ambitions, and expressed interest in a potential World Athletics Championships appearance in Italy if awarded for 2029.
Francesco Pernici Lowers Italian 800-Meter Record
The track events in Budapest also featured a historic performance by 23-year-old Italian middle-distance runner Francesco Pernici. The Fiamme Gialle athlete placed fifth in the men’s 800-meter race with a time of 1:42.67.
Pernici broke his own national record, which he had previously set at 1:43.60 in July, dropping his personal best by nearly a full second. The race was won by Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati in 1:41.91, followed by Canada’s Marco Arop in 1:42.28 and Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi in 1:42.44.