The biggest sprint showdown in Budapest may already be missing one of its biggest names. The rematch fans wanted may not happen after all. Noah Lyles is confirmed for the Ultimate Championship, but Kishane Thompson’s unexplained absence has cast doubt on another chapter of their rivalry.

The 25-year-old Jamaican does not appear on the current men’s 100m entry list for the inaugural Ultimate Championship in Budapest, where Lyles and 2025 world champion Oblique Seville are among the confirmed contenders. With the event offering $150,000 to each individual champion, the omission is raising fresh questions about the Olympic silver medallist’s fitness.

Thompson has been away from competition for several months. His last appearance came in April, when he stunned the sprinting world by running a world-best 14.92 seconds over 150m at the Miramar Invitational in Florida.

That impressive performance has been followed by silence on the track…

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The Jamaican later withdrew from the World Relays after reportedly picking up an injury during relay practice and subsequently missed the Jamaican Championships.

On June 10, Trackalerts.com reported that Thompson was dealing with an injury and was unlikely to compete at the national championships. The report also suggested he could miss the remainder of the 2026 season, although no official announcement confirming it has followed.

For a sprinter who has never been known for racing every week, the extended absence does not automatically mean alarm. Thompson has traditionally competed selectively, and the Ultimate Championship is still some time away.
But the lack of a clear update makes his absence from the Budapest lineup harder to ignore.

Thompson’s absence would be particularly disappointing because of what he and Lyles produced in Paris.

The Jamaican came agonisingly close to becoming the first man from his country since Usain Bolt in 2016 to win Olympic 100m gold. For almost the entire race, Thompson appeared to have done enough.

Then came the finish…

Lyles stopped the clock in 9.79 seconds, with Thompson recording the same time. The difference between gold and silver was just 0.005 seconds, making it the closest Olympic 100m final in history.

“I am disappointed … but I am also glad, I am grateful,” Thompson said after the race.

The silver medallist later admitted that he had tightened up toward the finish and did not trust himself enough to let his speed carry him through.

That tiny margin turned what could have been the beginning of a major rivalry into an unfinished story. Now, the Ultimate Championship appeared to offer another opportunity to see the two sprint stars collide.

Instead, Thompson’s current absence has left that reunion hanging in the balance. But…

The 2026 World Athletics Ultimate Championship is ready to entertain the fans in its own way

The Budapest event itself is designed to create exactly these kinds of high-profile encounters. Olympic champions, world champions and Diamond League winners will come together from September 11-13 to determine athletics’ first Ultimate Champions.

The competition also comes with an enormous financial incentive. The total prize pool stands at $10 million, the biggest in track and field history, with individual winners receiving $150,000 and every participating athlete guaranteed prize money.

But World Athletics is also changing the way the sport is presented.

Under a new lane-draft system, 200m athletes will choose their preferred semifinal heat and lane based on world ranking. Vertical-jump ties will be settled through jump-offs, while field events will be shortened to keep the spotlight on the leading competitors.

Broadcasts will also feature projected finishing positions and live win probabilities, while the event presentation has been developed partly with input from Lyles himself. Mondo Duplantis, meanwhile, has created the championship anthem.

All of that makes Thompson’s potential absence even more noticeable…

His camp has also not publicly clarified when he might return. So fans are left with a frustrating possibility: the Ultimate Championship could deliver Lyles against Seville, but not the man who came within five thousandths of a second of taking Olympic gold from him.

And until Thompson is seen back on the track, the question remains… is this simply another carefully managed break, or has the injury kept Jamaica’s Olympic silver medallist sidelined for much longer than expected?