The World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest were expected to bring together many of the biggest names in global athletics.
Instead, the inaugural edition will be missing a remarkable number of stars.
At the top of that list is India’s Neeraj Chopra.
Neeraj Chopra Among Major Absentees
Chopra will not compete in Budapest after ending his 2026 season early because of an ankle ligament injury.
His absence removes one of the biggest attractions in world athletics.
It also means India’s biggest track and field star will miss a championship designed to showcase the best of the best.
And Chopra is far from alone.
The list of high-profile absentees is extensive.
Kenyan distance-running superstar Faith Kipyegon will not compete in Budapest.
American sprint star Noah Lyles is also out.
The women’s 5000m will be without another Kenyan powerhouse, Beatrice Chebet, who is on a maternity break.
American hurdling great Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is also away on maternity leave.
Jamaican sprint stars Shericka Jackson and Kishane Thompson will also miss the championships.
Nadia Battocletti of Italy will not compete for personal reasons.
Switzerland’s Ditaji Kambundji, Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith and Germany’s Malaika Mihambo are among the other notable absentees.
Field Events Also Lose Major Stars
The field events will also be missing some of their biggest names.
Venezuela’s Yulimar Rojas, one of the most dominant athletes in triple jump history, will not compete.
Neither will Italy’s Mattia Furlani, America’s Jordan Anthony and Cooper Lutkenhaus, or Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala.
There is another major reason behind the unusually long absentee list.
Some events are simply not part of the Ultimate Championships programme.
As a result, the leading athletes in the men’s and women’s 3000m steeplechase, men’s discus throw, women’s hammer throw and men’s triple jump will not have an opportunity to compete.
That means athletes such as Kenya’s Faith Cherotich and Winfred Yavi, America’s Chase Jackson and Camryn Rogers, and Portugal’s Pedro Pichardo will also be absent from the Budapest line-up.
Why Are So Many Stars Missing?
The reasons are varied.
Injuries have ruled out several major names.
Maternity breaks have taken others away from competition.
Personal reasons have kept some athletes out.
Then there is the unusual format of the Ultimate Championships, with a programme that does not include several traditional championship events.
The result is an event that may still have an impressive field.
However, it will inevitably feel the absence of a remarkable collection of global stars.
Chopra’s Absence a Major Blow for Indian Fans
For Indian fans, Neeraj Chopra’s absence will be particularly significant.
The javelin thrower had been expected to be one of the marquee names in Budapest after another high-profile season.
Instead, his 2026 campaign is over.
The Ultimate Championships will go ahead without the Olympic and world champion.
His absence is a reminder of just how difficult it is to assemble a truly complete field in athletics.
Even when the world’s biggest stars are invited, the calendar, injuries, personal circumstances, maternity breaks and event selection can dramatically change the line-up.
Budapest will still have champions, contenders and plenty of world-class athletics.
But it will also have a very long list of empty spaces where some of the biggest names in the sport would otherwise have been.