Yassine Hssine will be Morocco’s sole representative at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship, scheduled for September 11 to 13 in Budapest, Hungary. The 23-year-old will compete in the 200m.
World Athletics announced the participants for the event on Monday, September 7, confirming Hssine’s place among the world’s top sprinters.
Hssine has emerged as a standout figure in Moroccan sprinting, at a time when the country’s athletes have traditionally focused on middle-distance, long-distance and endurance events. He has broken the Moroccan 200m record several times, eventually lowering it to 19.92, and became the first Moroccan to break the 20-second barrier.
At the 2026 Taranto Mediterranean Games, he completed an unprecedented 100m-200m double, clocking 10.31 and 19.94 respectively and demonstrating his talent.
His return to Budapest’s National Athletics Centre, the stadium that will host the World Athletics Ultimate Championship, could prove significant. It was there that he set his latest national record in the event at the István Gyulai Memorial in July 2026.
The 2026 Ultimate Championship 200m will feature some of the world’s best sprinters, including American Kenny Bednarek, a two-time Olympic silver medalist and reigning Diamond League champion, Canadian Andre De Grasse, the Olympic champion in the event at Tokyo 2020, and Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo, the reigning Olympic champion and the first African to win Olympic gold in the distance.
With a personal best of 19.92 and significant room for improvement, 23-year-old Hssine will be looking to challenge the established world order.
Another notable feature of the competition is its prize money. The winner will receive $150,000, the runner-up $75,000 and third place $40,000, with the rewards continuing down to 16th place, which will receive $2,000.
