World Athletics releases Ultimate Anthem

World Athletics has announced the release of the Ultimate Anthem, Gold, performed by Swedish athletics superstar Mondo Duplantis. The song was written by Duplantis, along with Carl Silvergran and Oscar Chase, and produced by Chase.

The track has been released globally across major music-streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music. The official music video is now available, while behind-the-scenes photo and video assets from its production have also been made available for editorial use.

“I wrote the song around representing something that’s a lot bigger than yourself,” said Duplantis.

“I think that’s what we all do when we’re on the track. We represent our family, our team, our coaches, and I love that concept. Music and sports are the two things that bring people together in the best way, and Gold is an expression of that.”

Signature sound

Gold will serve as the signature sound of the World Athletics Ultimate Championship. It will be integrated into both the broadcast and live-event experience, connecting fans inside the stadium with audiences around the world. Duplantis is also scheduled to perform the song live to close the championship on Sunday, September 13.

“The Ultimate is purposefully designed to showcase the talents and passions of our sport’s biggest stars, on and off the track,” said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe.

“Mondo is one of our most recognisable and accomplished athletes, and we could not be more excited that he is the one who created the Ultimate anthem. This is a massive global sporting championship, and it felt appropriate to have an anthem that serves to inspire our audiences and fans across the world written and performed by one of the greats.”

The music video was filmed in Budapest, Hungary, host city of the inaugural edition of the Ultimate Championship, which will take place from September 11-13. Duplantis filmed scenes at some of the city’s best-known landmarks, including Fisherman’s Bastion and Heroes’ Square, placing Budapest at the centre of the story behind Gold.

The video also features archival footage of Duplantis as a child and young athlete, alongside clips from some of the defining moments of his sporting career. Family members, friends, fellow pole vaulters and other track and field stars also appear, celebrating moments of achievement and success.

Dynamic transitions and creative camera movements tie the production together, capturing the fluidity, energy and power of human movement that lies at the heart of athletics.

Duplantis, who is represented by Sony Music Sweden, has spent years writing and producing music alongside his historic athletics career. Working between Stockholm and Louisiana, where he grew up, he has steadily developed his musical craft and accumulated more than 11 million streams on Spotify alone.

The World Athletics Ultimate Championship is designed to reshape the athletics calendar and determine the sport’s top performer every two years by bringing together world champions, Olympic champions, Wanda Diamond League winners and the season’s highest-ranked athletes. The event will feature a historic prize purse of US$10 million.