Olyslagers Earns Career-High Payday Despite High Jump Silver — image accompanying The Guardian Athletics's report. Photograph: Christel Saneh/World Athletics/Getty Images; reduced and presented for news commentary with the attributed report. View the complete source report.
Nicola Olyslagers, Australia's high jump world champion, finished second at the Ultimate Championship, earning a career-high payday of $105,000. Despite struggling on a challenging surface, she cleared 1.95m, securing second place behind Ukraine's Yaroslava Mahuchikh.
Olyslagers was surprised by her earnings, expecting a much lower prize for second place. The Ultimate Championship, with a $14 million prize pool, aims to attract new fans to the sport. Other notable performances included Kurtis Marschall's fourth-place finish in the pole vault. Read more racing coverage.
Eleanor Patterson, Olyslagers' domestic rival, finished joint third with a clearance of 1.91m, expressing frustration after a strong season. The event also featured a world record attempt by Armand Duplantis, who narrowly missed setting a new world record in the pole vault. Related: Ultimate Championship to Offer $10m Prize Money in Budapest.
This original Runner World brief is based on reporting from The Guardian Athletics. Visit the source for its complete reporting, context and any later corrections.
Reader questions
Questions about this report
What should runners know about Olyslagers Earns Career-High Payday Despite High Jump Silver?
Nicola Olyslagers secures a significant payday despite finishing second in the high jump. Nicola Olyslagers, Australia's high jump world champion, finished second at the Ultimate Championship, earning a career-high payday of $105,000. Despite struggling on a challenging surface, she cleared 1.95m, securing second place behind Ukraine's Yaroslava Mahuchikh.
When did Runner World publish this racing brief?
Runner World published this brief on September 11, 2026. The underlying The Guardian Athletics report was dated September 11, 2026.
Where can readers find the complete original report?
This summary is based on reporting from The Guardian Athletics. The attributed source link in the article leads to the publisher’s complete report.
THE WEEKLY BRIEFING
Start the week a step ahead.
A concise edit of the running stories worth knowing, sent every Monday.