Kenya's David Rudisha remains the men's 800m world record holder ©Getty Images

Three athletes with a combined seven World Athletics Championships and six Olympic medals have been named as ambassadors for Budapest 2023 here.

Kenyan middle-distance runner David Rudisha, British decathlete Daley Thompson and Croatian high jumper Blanka Vlašić are set to promote the event in the Hungarian capital on the 40th anniversary of its inaugural edition in Helsinki in 1983.

Rudisha won back-to-back men's Olympic 800 metres titles at London 2012 and Rio 2016, and took World Championships gold in Daegu in 2011 and Beijing four years later.

His performance in London remains a world record at 1min 40.91sec.

"I am deeply honoured to be appointed as an ambassador for the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 by World Athletics," Rudisha said.

"Congratulations to all the athletes who have made it to the World Championships this year.

"I take this opportunity to wish everyone a successful competition and I ask all the fans and athletes to uphold the spirit of sportsmanship during the event."

Britain's Daley Thompson won decathlon gold at the inaugural World Athletics Championships in Helsinki in 1983 ©Getty Images
Britain's Daley Thompson won decathlon gold at the inaugural World Athletics Championships in Helsinki in 1983 ©Getty Images

Thompson competed at the first World Championships in the Finnish capital in 1983, taking the decathlon title.

His success fell in between Olympic golds at Moscow 1980 and Los Angeles 1984 and three consecutive Commonwealth Games titles from Edmonton 1978 to Edinburgh 1986.

Thompson described the World Championships as a "major landmark in any athlete's career".

Vlašić won successive World Championships women's high jump golds at Osaka 2007 and Berlin 2009, as well as silvers at Daegu 2011 and Beijing 2015.

Croatia's Blanka Vlašić won back-to-back World Athletics Championships golds in the women's high jump in 2007 and 2009 ©Getty Images
Croatia's Blanka Vlašić won back-to-back World Athletics Championships golds in the women's high jump in 2007 and 2009 ©Getty Images

She won an Olympic silver at Beijing 2008 and a bronze eight years later in Rio de Janeiro.

Vlašić underlined the significance of defending her world title in her career.

"The sense of pride and accomplishment will stay with me forever, that’s for sure,"

The World Athletics Championships is set to begin on Saturday (August 19) and run until August 27, mostly utilising the new National Athletics Centre.