BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Melissa Jefferson-Wooden ran a world-leading 10.62 seconds, blowing away Julien Alfred in the 100 meters at the Ultimate Championship on Saturday and winning the tiebreaker in a three-week, best-of-three series between the reigning Olympic and world champions.
Jefferson-Wooden's time edged out this year's previous best time — held by University of Georgia's Adaejah Hodge — by .01 seconds and fell short of her own personal best by the same .01. The win was good for $150,000, top prize for all the first-place finishers this week in Budapest.
A few minutes after her win, Kenny Bednarek sprung an upset in the men's 100, beating Olympic champion Oblique Seville to win $150,000 of his own. Bednarek won in 9.85 and has a chance for another first prize Sunday, where he's a favorite in the 200 meters.
Jefferson-Wooden's training partner, Sha'Carri Richardson, finished third on the same track in Budapest where she won world championships three years ago.
This one wasn't much of a contest. Jefferson-Wooden, who took the worlds last year, beat the Olympic champ by .12.
The showdown between the women who came in tied for the second-fastest time this year was the sort of thing track was hoping for when it came up with the idea for these championships in a sport where top sprinters often find ways to avoid each other.
In this one, on a cool night in Budapest in front of a packed crowd, they got the matchup, even if Jefferson-Wooden ended the drama early.
Other winners Saturday included:
— Sandi Morris, who has five silver medals and no golds from Olympics and worlds dating to 2016, but broke through with a pole vault win that won't yield a medal but meant a lot nonetheless.
— Collen Kebinatshipi, who darted to a big lead early in the 400 final, briefly flirted with the world record (43.03) and ran away from the pack in 43.39 to remind the world of how big a force Botswana will be in the sprint game heading in to the LA Olympics.
“My dream is just to see more guys coming up and backing us up so we can keep the streak going,” said Kebinatshipi, who teamed with Letsile Tebogo to win the 4x400 relay at worlds last year.
— Aurdrey Werro in the women's 800 for her third straight win in a rivalry with Britain's Keely Hodgkinson. Femke Broeders-Bol, who moved to this race from the hurdles, finished third.
— Poland's Klaudia Kazimerska, who backed up her win at the Diamond League final last week with an ultimate championship, beating Britain's Georgia Hunter Bell in a race missing Olympic and world champion Faith Kipyegon.
“I'm going to go on vacation now,” Kazimerska said when asked what she would do with the money. “Or, I don't know. I'm going to invest my money. I try to be responsible.”
See AP’s full sports coverage here
Kenneth Bednarek, of the United States, reacts after winning the men's 100 meters final during the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut) CORRECTION: Corrects ID to Kenneth Bednarek instead of Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and competition to Men's 100 meters instead of Women's 100 meters
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, of the United States, celebrates after winning the women's 100 meters final and posting a world-leading time during the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
VENICE, Italy (AP) — “Woman Unknown,” a drama about Denmark in the aftermath of the Nazi occupation directed by May el-Toukhy, won the prestigious Golden Lion at the 83rd Venice Film Festival on Saturday.
The Maggie Gyllenhaal -led jury announced the winners, which included a best actor prize for John Malkovich for his performance in the dark CIA comedy “Wild Horse Nine.”
Malkovich was not in attendance at the ceremony, but he sent a video message, explaining that he is shooting in Montreal.
“I am humbled to be chosen for this award which has been given to so many wonderful actors,” Malkovich said.
El-Toukhy, who was the only woman to have solely directed a film in the main competition this year, is the eighth woman to have won the festival's top prize.
“To me personally, ‘Woman Unknown’ is about the female body as a battleground,” el-Toukhy said. “At the same time the film tells the tale of women who are unseen, invisible and voiceless.”
She thanked Gyllenhaal for using her voice to shine a light on unequal opportunities for women in moviemaking.
The film, which does not yet have distribution in North America, is centered on a young nanny and housemaid who is about to marry her wealthy employer in the immediate aftermath of the war. But she harbors a secret past intimate relationship with a German soldier that threatens to upend her reputation. The lead, Mathilde Arcel, won the festival's best actress prize.
Arcel was visibly emotional as she accepted the award, which she placed on the floor as she spoke as she said it was very heavy.
“This is my first lead role in a movie and my first time at a film festival,” she said. “I’m extremely honored.”
South Korean auteur Lee Chang-dong’s poetic portrait of class and labor, “Possible Love,” won the Silver Lion grand jury prize. “Possible Love” is Lee’s first film in eight years, following his acclaimed “Burning.”
“We are living in an era where the meaning of labor is fading and human connections are increasingly becoming severed,” Lee said through a translator. “I made this film to ask what cinema can and should do in times like these. I take this award as a sign that you want me to keep asking these questions.”
“NAZA,” a harrowing documentary about military strategies employed in the war in Gaza from Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, was awarded a special jury prize.
“It’s honestly not very easy to stand here, thinking of all the people, the Israeli politicians, the journalists back home who are attacking this film, denying it without even seeing it,” Abraham said. “It is really, really especially important to us that Israelis watch this film.”
The was added to the main competition late — at the request of the filmmakers — and debuted late in the schedule as well, but its impact was felt as it received a record-breaking standing ovation, lasting some 25 minutes, after its premiere.
Shot on the rooftops of Tel Aviv at night in extreme secrecy over three years, “NAZA” features testimony from 24 Israeli military insiders including intelligence officers and soldiers give who insight into the war in Gaza and what they say is the systemic killing of Palestinian civilians.
The jury gave the Silver Lion for directing to Ilya Krzhanovsky for his film “Dau,” a project about the Soviet physicists who built the atomic bomb that has taken over 20 years to make. Krzhanovsky, who renounced his Russian citizenship in protest of the war in Ukraine, dedicated the prize to Ukrainians, including his mother who was born there.
French director Stéphane Brizé’s won the screenplay prize for his corporate drama “A Good Little Soldier.” Malou Khebizi was given the Marcello Mastroianni award for emerging actor for her role in Cédric Kahn’s “A Place to Heal,” which is set in an adolescent psychiatric ward in a public hospital.
The jury this year included “The Voice of Hind Rajab” director Kaouther Ben Hania, English composer Daniel Blumberg, French filmmaker Xavier Giannoli, Afghan filmmaker Shahrbanoo Sadat and Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To.
Aside from Malkovich's win, the starrier, Hollywood films playing in competition were shut out of the awards, including “Primetime,” “Bunker” and “Ink.”
Some look to the Venice Film Festival awards for early indications of who might be in with a shot at Oscar nominations and wins. In recent years, Venice has launched winning best actor campaigns for people like Brendan Fraser and Adrien Brody.
Malkovich has yet to win an Oscar.
For more coverage of the 2026 Venice Film Festival, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/venice-film-festival
Jury member Johnnie To, left, presents director Lee Chang-dong the grand jury prize for the film 'Possible Love' during the closing ceremony of the 83rd edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)
John Malkovich poses for photographers at the red carpet for the film 'Wild Horse Nine' during the 83rd edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026. (Photo by Alessandra Tarantino/Invision/AP)
Director May el-Toukhy poses for photographers after receiving the Golden Lion for best film for 'Woman Unknown' during the closing ceremony of the 83rd edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)
Lee Chang-Dong poses for photographers at the closing ceremony red carpet during the 83rd edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)
May el-Toukhy, left, and Mathilde Arcel Fock pose for photographers at the closing ceremony red carpet during the 83rd edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)
Jury president Maggie Gyllenhaal poses for photographers at the closing ceremony red carpet during the 83rd edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)
Rachel Szor, left, and Yuval Abraham pose for photographers at the closing ceremony red carpet during the 83rd edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)
Maggie Gyllenhaal speaks to the audience prior to Ellen Burstyn receiving the golden lion for lifetime achievement during the 83rd edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, on Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)
Driector Lee Chang-dong, from left, Sul Kyung-gu, Jeon Do-yeon, Cho Yeo-jeong and Zo In-sung pose for photographers at the red carpet for the film 'Possible Love' during the 83rd edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026. (Photo by Alessandra Tarantino/Invision/AP)
John Malkovich, left, and Sam Rockwell pose for photographers at the red carpet for the film 'Wild Horse Nine' during the 83rd edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026. (Photo by Alessandra Tarantino/Invision/AP)
Directors Yuval Abraham, left, and Rachel Szor pose for photographers at the photo call for the film 'Naza' during the 83rd edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)
Robert Pattinson poses for photographers at the red carpet for the film 'Primetime' during the 83rd edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (Photo by Alessandra Tarantino/Invision/AP)
