Team Nigeria left the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship with a combined $130,000 in individual prize money, led by Tobi Amusan’s runner-up finish in the women’s 100 metres hurdles.
Five Nigerians contributed to the haul at the three-day championship in Budapest, where World Athletics offered a record $10 million prize fund.
Amusan supplied more than half of Nigeria’s total.
The Nigerian hurdles star finished second in the women’s 100m hurdles in 12.34 seconds, earning $75,000.
That single performance accounted for almost 58 per cent of Nigeria’s entire prize-money return.
Ajayi adds $25,000 in men’s 100m
Kayinsola Ajayi delivered Nigeria’s next biggest payday.
Ajayi finished fourth in the men’s 100m final in 9.93 seconds, earning $25,000 under the championship prize structure.
That lifted Nigeria’s combined earnings from Amusan and Ajayi alone to $100,000.
The performance also underlined Nigeria’s presence in one of the championship’s strongest sprint events.
Nathaniel, Onwuzurike and Onojuvwevwo complete haul
Ezekiel Nathaniel added $14,000 from the men’s 400m hurdles.
Udodi Onwuzurike contributed another $10,000 after finishing eighth in the men’s 200m final in 20.45 seconds.
Ella Onojuvwevwo completed Nigeria’s earnings with $6,000 from the women’s 400m.
Her payment came from her overall championship placement following the semifinal stage, under a prize structure that rewarded athletes beyond the finalists.
Nigeria’s prize-money breakdown was:
- Tobi Amusan — $75,000
- Kayinsola Ajayi — $25,000
- Ezekiel Nathaniel — $14,000
- Udodi Onwuzurike — $10,000
- Ella Onojuvwevwo — $6,000
Total: $130,000.
Record prize purse raises stakes for elite athletes
The significance of Nigeria’s $130,000 haul goes beyond the headline figure.
World Athletics designed the Ultimate Championship as a premium season-ending event, with substantially higher financial rewards than athletes typically receive at a single global track meeting.
Individual champions earned $150,000, runners-up received $75,000 and third-place finishers took home $40,000, with payments continuing down the standings.
For Nigerian athletes, the format turned elite international performances directly into meaningful financial returns.
Amusan was the clear competitive and financial leader of the group, but Ajayi, Nathaniel, Onwuzurike and Onojuvwevwo ensured Nigeria’s earnings were spread across hurdles, sprint and one-lap events.
Nigeria leaves Budapest with depth — but no title
Nigeria did not produce an individual Ultimate champion in Budapest.
That prevents the $130,000 haul from being treated as a complete competitive success.
But Amusan’s runner-up finish, Ajayi’s fourth place and the contributions from Nathaniel, Onwuzurike and Onojuvwevwo showed that Nigeria remained competitive across several elite events.
The money reflects that depth.
The bigger challenge is converting more of those high-level performances into podium finishes and global titles.
For Team Nigeria, Budapest delivered $130,000 in verified earnings.
The next target is a bigger return in medals.
