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PRESS RELEASE  Long-form documentary series features three of the most prominent training groups in the world in lead-up to the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in September Side by side in the blocks while training in Florida, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Sha’Carri Richardson are each putting in the preparation to be the world’s best sprinter.In the UK, Keely Hodgkinson and Georgia Hunter Bell are pushing each other to the limit in a joint quest for middle-distance supremacy. Meanwhile, in the Dutch countryside, Femke Broeders-Bol is trying to become a world beater in a whole new event, the 800m, alongside a stable of internationally acclaimed teammates continually driving each other forward.Now, for the first time, athletics fans are being given a front-row seat and all-access pass to see how three of the world’s best training groups prepare for the World Athletics Ultimate Championship come September.Across three half-hour documentaries, viewers will witness the rollercoaster nature of an athletics season, from the physical and mental highs and lows at their training bases to competing on the Diamond League circuit in the build-up to the season finale in Budapest, where $150,000 is on the line for each individual champion. ‘Iron Sharpens Iron’ explores dynamics of excellence, rivalry, growth and achievement as some of the world’s greatest are put through their paces by the sport’s leading coaches. The video series is a testament to the athlete-centric model of the Ultimate Championship, which was designed to put athletes at the heart of the global event, whether through broadcast, operations, planning, partnerships or storytelling. Episode one is available now, taking viewers to Papendal, a picture-perfect location in the Veluwe woods of the Netherlands, five miles from the city of Arnhem. A star-studded group trains there fastidiously, led by Broeders-Bol, who has opted to switch her attention from her favoured 400m hurdles to the 800m. Also in that stable is one of the rising stars of the 400m, Czechia’s Lurdes Gloria Manuel, who was crowned world indoor champion in Poland in March. In their midst are two other Dutch athletes in Olympic and world champion Lieke Klaver and multiple global medallist Nadine Visser. They all train under the ever-watchful eye of Laurent Meuwly. Next, the cameras point to Star Athletics, the Florida-based group headed up by Dennis Mitchell, the three-time Olympic sprint medallist. This chapter focuses on the respective stories of Jefferson-Wooden and Richardson, as they battle for sprinting dominance not just on the national stage but globally as well. Kenny Bednarek and Christian Coleman, both multiple global medallists, also feature. The documentary series is capped off by a visit to the UK and M11 Track Club, the Manchester hub headed by husband-and-wife coaching duo Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows. Their star double act is undoubtedly Hodgkinson and Hunter Bell, who both began 2026 in style with indoor world titles over the 800m and 1500m, respectively. But also in their training group are Ireland’s Sarah Healy, France’s Benjamin Robert and British athletes Erin Wallace and Lewis Davey. Over the coming weeks, fans will get an inside look at what it takes to truly become one of the best athletes in the world – and how training groups enable athletes to reach new peaks in their careers. The World Athletics Ultimate Championship is set to transform the athletics calendar and settle the debate over which athlete is the best of the best every two years – pitting world champions, Olympic champions, Wanda Diamond League winners and the year’s top-ranked athletes against each other to crown the champion of champions. The Ultimate, which will take place in Budapest, Hungary, on 11-13 September, features a historic prize pot of $10 million. |