World Athletics Championship is the annual world championship for track and field, separate from the Olympic Games. It was first held in 1983, and is currently run every two years.

The championships are considered the pinnacle of athletic achievement, and a gold medal is the ultimate prize for athletes pursuing their dream to become a world champion. Those who compete at the world level are a special breed: They must be able to juggle speed, strength, power and agility over two days of high-performance competition, while also maintaining a rigorous training schedule. Only the very best can do it.

Mondo Duplantis, Femke Bol and Emmanuel Wanyonyi are among the star athletes returning to defend their titles at this year’s edition of the event, which is scheduled for 19-27 August in Budapest, Hungary. The US team is currently ranked sixth, and includes five previous world champions.

There are plenty of reasons for fans to tune in, with the likes of Noah Lyles — an American 200-meter star and the subject of NBC Sports’ docuseries, “Noah” — poised to challenge the world record in his discipline. In the heptathlon, Poland’s Hubert Troscianka has already set an astonishing new mark of 8500 points and is on course to become the sport’s first male superhuman.

Several NAU alumni are also in the hunt for a medal. At the USATF Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field, Maggi Congdon (800m), Nico Young (5K and 10,000m) and Brooke Andersen (hammer throw) all qualified for Team USA with outstanding performances.