By Pura Vida Reporter and World Athletics
Kenyan athletics stars Agnes Ngetich and Sabastian Sawe headline the 20 nominees announced for the 2026 World Athlete of the Year honours ahead of the World Athletics Awards in Monaco on 29 November.
The two trailblazers lead the country's charge in a global field of 10 men and 10 women selected by an international panel of athletics experts. The nominations reflect standout performances from a sensational year of track, field, and road racing, including the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship and major marathon circuits.
Kenya's Nominees and their History-Making Achievements:
Sabastian Sawe (Men’s World Athlete of the Year Nominee): Sawe enters the list after a historic, barrier-breaking performance where he won the London Marathon in a breathtaking world record of 1:59:30. With this feat, he became the first man in history to officially break the two-hour barrier in a record-eligible marathon.
Agnes Ngetich (Women’s World Athlete of the Year Nominee): Ngetich dominated both the roads and cross-country fields this season. She captured the world half marathon title by 50 seconds in a women-only world record of 1:05:15 and secured the world cross-country title by 42 seconds. On the track and roads, she clocked world-leading times of 8:08.95 for 3000m and 28:58 for 10km.
Global Nominees:
A montage of the global nominees for the 2026 World Athlete of the Year Awards. (Image / World Athletics)
Women’s Athlete of the Year:
Agnes Ngetich (Kenya);
Tigst Assefa (Ethiopia): Won Berlin Marathon (2:11:04) and London Marathon in a women-only world record (2:15:41);
Chase Jackson (USA): Twice improved the North American shot put record (21.14m); won world indoor title;
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (USA): Won the sprint double at the Ultimate Championship; clocked 10.62 (100m) and 21.47 (200m);
Marileidy Paulino (Dominican Republic): Won Ultimate 400m and Diamond League titles; went unbeaten with a 48.48 world lead.
María Pérez (Spain): Set an inaugural world half marathon race walk record of 1:30:06 to win the European title.
Camryn Rogers (Canada): Improved her North American hammer record to 81.13m and retained her Commonwealth title.
Masai Russell (USA): Set a world 100m hurdles record of 12.09 during an unbeaten season.
Audrey Werro (Switzerland): Won Ultimate, Diamond League, and European 800m titles; ran a world lead of 1:53.70.
Yan Ziyi (China): Threw an Asian and world U20 javelin record of 71.74m; won Diamond League and Asian Games titles.
Men’s Athlete of the Year:
Sabastian Sawe (Kenya)
Kenneth Bednarek (USA): Completed a sprint double at the Ultimate Championship (9.85/100m and a world-leading 19.52/200m);
Kristjan Čeh (Slovenia): Won the Diamond League discus title and retained his European title with a 72.51m championship record;
Andy Díaz Hernández (Italy): Swept world indoor, Diamond League, and European triple jump titles with an 18.15m leap;
Alison dos Santos (Brazil): Set a world 400m hurdles record of 45.80 and went undefeated across 11 hurdles races;
Mondo Duplantis (Sweden): Improved his world pole vault record to 6.31m alongside Ultimate, world indoor, and European titles;
Collen Kebinatshipi (Botswana): Won the Ultimate 400m title in 43.39 and ran six sub-44.00 races in a single season;
Josh Kerr (Great Britain & NI): Set a world mile record of 3:42.66 and captured the Ultimate 1500m and world indoor 3000m titles;
Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage (Sri Lanka): Dominated the javelin with Ultimate, Diamond League, Asian, and Commonwealth titles and a 92.62m national record;
Ja’Kobe Tharp (USA): Set a world 110m hurdles record of 12.75 at the NCAA Championships and won the Ultimate title.
Voting and Next Steps:
A four-way vote will determine the final rankings, closing on Saturday 17 October at midnight CEST. The voting weight is split equally (25% each) between:
- World Athletics fans voting via a survey on the official app, website, and social channels.
- Athletes who competed at World Athletics Series events in 2026.
- Accredited media members, including journalists and commentators.
- The World Athletics Family, including Council members, committee directors, and staff.
The final six candidates—three men and three women — will be revealed on 10 and 11 November. The winners will be crowned live on stage in Monaco on 29 November, where additional honors like the Rising Star awards, Coach of the Year, and the new Moment of the Year award will also be presented.
