German athlete Merlin Hummel stunned everyone by naming the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship title to his name in the men’s hammer throw event.
While Budapest (Hungary) is hosting the 2026 World Athletics Ultimate Championship, the men’s hammer throw event experienced some stunning stories on the opening day on Friday night. Eight athletes participated in the Final, which had four rounds to decide the champion. Out of eight athletes, the top six after the second round could advance to the third round, which saw two more eliminations before the fourth and final round of the event.
Canadian star Ethan Katzberg, the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics gold medalist, two-time World Athletics Championships winner, and the Commonwealth Games 2026 gold medalist, surprisingly failed to reach the third round due to failing to produce any marks after recording two foul throws.
German thrower Merlin Hummel took the lead in his first throw with the 81.46m distance, while the home nation’s athlete Bence Halász started his journey with the 80.30m distance. Both those marks stayed in the top two position marks in the Final, as Merlin won the title, and Bence failed to beat him. Merlin’s other successful throw reached the 81.44m mark, while Bence had no other countable throws. Mykhaylo Kokhan from Ukraine managed the third position with his best throw of 78.90m.
2026 World Athletics Ultimate Championship: Men’s Hammer Throw – Champion
Merlin Hummel (Germany): 81.46m
2026 World Athletics Ultimate Championship: Men's Hammer Throw – Final Status
Rank | Athlete (Nation) | Round | Distance (meters) | |||
1 (m) | 2 (m) | 3 (m) | 4 (m) | |||
1 | Merlin Hummel (Germany) | 81.46 | x | 81.44 | x | 81.46 |
2 | Bence Halász (Hungary) | 80.30 | x | x | x | 80.30 |
3 | Mykhaylo Kokhan (Ukraine) | 73.18 | 78.50 | 78.90 | 77.60 | 78.90 |
4 | Yann Chaussinand (France) | 78.36 | x | x | x | 78.36 |
5 | Volodymyr Myslyvčuk (Czech Republic) | 73.12 | 78.19 | 77.30 | 78.19 | |
6 | Paweł Fajdek (Poland) | 73.98 | 76.11 | x | 76.11 | |
7 | Rudy Winkler (United States) | 75.86 | x | 75.86 | ||
Ethan Katzberg (Canada) | x | x | No Mark | |||
Who is Merlin Hummel?
The 24-year-old Merlin Hummel from Germany claimed his first title in any major senior event. In the Tokyo 2025 World Athletics Championships, he finished as the silver medalist. In the 2026 European Athletics Championships, he also won a silver medal.