Pyramids, TP Mazembe, and Simba secured important victories in the CAF Champions League qualifying round

Leading South African athletes will compete for medals and a share of the largest prize fund in athletics history at the debut 'Ultimate Championship' World Athletics Championships, which takes place in Budapest this weekend.

The Main Championship

The three-day sporting event, scheduled from Friday to Sunday, will offer an astonishing $10 million (approximately 159.4 million rand) in prize money. Furthermore, each individual champion is guaranteed $150,000 (about 2.39 million rand).

This amount is 2.5 times higher than the maximum of $60,000 (about 956,000 rand) that individual winners can receive at the Diamond League Finals. It should be noted that the entire 2026 Diamond League season has a total prize fund of $9.24 million (about 147.2 million rand).

For qualified South African athletes, this presents an exceptional opportunity to conclude a memorable season. Sinisipho Dambile competes in the new championship as the country's main hope for winning medals after securing silver at the Diamond League Finals in Brussels on Saturday.

The 24-year-old athlete clocked a time of 19.89 seconds, trailing American Kenny Bednarek's 19.62 seconds, and previously led the Diamond League rankings in the 200-meter distance.

This result was the culmination of a successful campaign in which Dambile also won gold at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, set a personal best of 19.74, and ran faster than 20 seconds multiple times. His triumph at the Commonwealth Games was particularly significant as he became the first South African man to win the 200-meter title at the Commonwealth Games, and his time of 19.74 placed him second in the country's all-time list behind Clarence Munyai.

If Dambile replicates his performance at the Diamond League Finals, the silver in Budapest will be worth approximately 1.2 million rand. Even sixth place in this two-year competition will yield over 200,000 rand.

Dambile will not be the only one with high expectations at the season's finale. Akani Simbine and Gift Lesothlo will compete in the 100 meters, while Zakiti Nene will compete in the 400 meters. Prudence Sekgodiso will participate in the women's 800-meter race, and Marion Fourie is also among the qualified South Africans in the women's 100-meter hurdles.

Nene, who ranked third in the Diamond League standings in the 400 meters, has already designated Budapest as one of the main goals of his season.

The Main Championship

The event is designed to bring together Olympic and world champions, Diamond League winners, and leading athletes of the year. Invitations are distributed based on a combination of achievements in championships and the Diamond League, world rankings, and other qualification criteria.

The new format means that athletes have little time to adapt to the competition. The 'Ultimate Championship' is conceived as a compact showdown between the best performers of 2026, offering another high-risk opportunity at the end of an already intense season.

For Dambile, this opportunity comes after possibly the most brilliant campaign of his career. For Nene, Simbine, Lesothlo, Sekgodiso, and Fourie, it is a chance to turn a season of strong performances into a historic achievement. And since every individual champion awaits 2.39 million rand, the stakes in Budapest are as high as possible in athletics.

After Dambile's silver secured South Africa's only medal at the Diamond League Finals, the country hopes that the new championship can provide an even larger monetary prize and, more importantly, the first 'Ultimate' Champion.

Rassie Erasmus demanded that the Springboks team find a new level of play during the match in Baltimore on Saturday. He warned that to defeat the All Blacks and win the 'Great Rivalry' series 3-1, they would need to demonstrate their best performance for 80 minutes.

Although the Springboks lead 2-1 after three test matches, Erasmus believes the team has not yet reached its peak, especially regarding match finishing.

"We always strive to play better, and there are many areas where we can improve," Erasmus stated. He noted that in the last two test games, when the team had a 14-point lead five or six minutes before the end, the All Blacks managed a strong comeback, making the result seven points or very close.

"This shows that we struggled with the last ten minutes, especially in the first test match when we had two yellow cards," he added. Erasmus emphasized that for the Springboks to complete the winning streak, greater stability is needed in both attack and defense.

"I don't think we have been consistent," he said. "If we can achieve consistency in our playing style, both in attack and defense, that will be great." He acknowledged that many discuss the defense, but pointed out that defending against New Zealand is very difficult due to the opponent's strong attack, and they want to improve in this area.

"But in all areas, we felt that in the last ten minutes we were not as good as before. We felt we let something slip in the last three games, and we want to get better at that."

Erasmus made only two changes to the starting lineup for the Baltimore match: Morne van der Merwe will take over as scrum-half instead of Kobus Reinach, and Damian Willemse will return to fullback instead of the injured Cheslin Kolbe.

Van der Merwe, who is 28 years old, is considered a kind of lucky charm for the Springboks. He won all nine of his test matches, scored five tries, and has beaten New Zealand twice already. Erasmus stated that the promotion of the scrum-half was long awaited.

"We have been watching Morne for a long time. He is 28, so he is not a young breakout player," he said. "I think he just hasn't been lucky due to injuries, and also because he played against very good ninth men who got opportunities before him. Now that Grant Williams is injured and several other players are injured, he has a chance." Erasmus also highly praised Van der Merwe's contribution to the team even when he wasn't playing, noting that the scrum-half remained a positive influence while on the bench, helping with analysis.

The country, which lost to Bangladesh by a score of nine to zero in its first women's international match in 2007, is now on the verge of a historic event. A victory in the last Group B match against Bangladesh—the opponents from their debut match in 2007—on Tuesday in Dubai will allow the UAE team, led by Esha Oza, to secure a historic place in the Women's T20 Asia Cup semi-finals.

Nearly two decades after their unsuccessful debut with a 'mothers and daughters' team, the UAE has received a golden opportunity to demonstrate significant progress in their cricket.

When the teams take to the Dubai International Stadium on Tuesday at 18:30, Chaya Mugal will be closely watching every moment with great anticipation. It was under her leadership that the UAE debuted at the Asia Cup in 2022.

Now, as the team fights for a semi-final spot after qualifying for the Asia Cup for the third consecutive time, Mugal feels proud. The former UAE captain told Khaleej Times: 'We are potentially just one win away from making it into one of Asia's top four teams. This will be a huge step for women's cricket in the UAE, especially considering the first Asia Cup will be held in the UAE.'

Mugal emphasized that the current situation is a privilege for the UAE while the country strives to attract more young girls to cricket. She noted that many schoolgirls will come to watch the game the next day (Tuesday), and they conducted trophy tours in various schools on Monday, so the girls are very excited.

'So I think we are really looking forward to this—a good cricket game in front of a crowd. We just need to play better than Bangladesh for one night. I think this will be a big story for us.'

The UAE, which surprised the Zimbabwe team, a full member of the ICC, in a bilateral series last year, is now among the most stable affiliated teams in the world, having gained ODI status last year. Women's cricket in the country is bearing fruit from the far-sighted initiatives undertaken by the Emirates Cricket Board, which received the ICC Development Award.

Mugal added that the Asia Cup is a chance to raise awareness in UAE schools. She mentioned that several years ago, it was difficult to find a good group of players capable of playing cricket, but now the development program is working very well. 'The best part is that we now have many players waiting in line and trying to make it into the national team. Seeing these girls master the sport is very inspiring.'

Mugal believes that a spot in the Asia Cup semi-finals will be the finishing touch. She noted that they are playing against the best teams in Asia, and gaining such experience for the players, the opportunity to play against those they have always dreamed of meeting—Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and if they reach the semi-finals, India—is a huge experience.

Former UAE men's captain Ahmed Raza, who previously coached the women's team, believes that Esha's team has the potential for a sensation against Bangladesh. He recalled that this is the same UAE team that defeated Zimbabwe last year. He noted that it was a historic moment—their first ODI tournament, first ODI victory, and first T20 series victory against a full ICC member. 'This entire tour, covering ODI and T20, was full of premieres. So many records were broken left, right, and center.'