Emmanuel Wanyonyi/ FILEThe Kenyan trio of four-time world 1,500m champion Faith Kipyegon, world 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi and world 10,000m and 5,000m record holder Beatrice Chebet are hoping to cap off their remarkable seasons in style after being nominated for the 2025 World Athletics Athlete of the Year Award.
Kipyegon and Chebet headline a star-studded female line-up that features world 400m hurdles champion Femke Bol of the Netherlands, world 400m champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone of the USA and double world sprint champion Mellisa Jefferson-Wooden.
Meanwhile, Wanyonyi finds himself in a fierce contest for the men’s crown, battling it out against Americans Rai Benjamin, the world 400m hurdles champion, Noah Lyles, the world 200m champion and Cordell Tinch, the 110m hurdles world champion.
Also in the mix is Frenchman Jimmy Gressier, the world 10,000m champion.
Kipyegon has been in blistering form throughout 2025.
On July 5 at the Prefontaine Classic, the Kenyan middle-distance queen shattered her 1,500m world record after clocking 3:48.68, becoming the first woman in history to dip under 3:49.
At the Tokyo World Championships, she etched her name deeper into the sport’s annals by clinching her fourth world title over the metric mile, adding to her previous triumphs in Budapest 2023, Eugene 2022 and London 2017.
Just last Friday, Kipyegon wrapped up her season in style at the Athlos Meeting in New York, where she claimed victory in the women’s mile in 4:17.78.
"Happy to be crowned the Athlos mile champion again. Beautifully closed my season in New York," Kipyegon shared.
Chebet’s season has been nothing short of phenomenal.
She obliterated the women’s 5,000m mark at the Pre Classic, posting 13:58.06 to become the first woman ever to run under 14 minutes.
Her dominance extended to the Tokyo World Championships, where she achieved a historic distance double, victories in the 5,000m (14:54.36) and 10,000m (30:37.61) finals.
Wanyonyi, on the other hand, stamped his authority on the men’s two-lap race, storming to his maiden world title in Tokyo with a 1:41.86 finish.
The 21-year-old also holds the world’s fastest time in 2025, courtesy of his 1:41.44 run in Monaco on July 11.
According to World Athletics, the list of nominees was compiled by a panel of international experts.
"A panel of international experts has compiled a long list of nominees for each of the three main award categories," the statement from the global body read.
Voting for the Athlete of the Year award is currently open on the World Athletics Facebook and X pages and will close on Sunday.
"Voting will take place to determine the two finalists in each category," WA said.
The voting system will combine 50 per cent of the World Athletics Council’s vote, 25 per cent from the World Athletics Family, and 25 per cent from social media votes.
"The World Athletics Council and the World Athletics Family will cast their votes by email, while the social vote will be open on Facebook, Instagram and X. Individual graphics for each nominee will be posted; a 'like' on Facebook and Instagram or a repost on X will count as one vote."
Once the finalists are confirmed, a fan vote will be opened for all registered World Athletics users.
"Once the finalists have been established, a fan vote will open — for all registered users of World Athletics – to help determine the overall World Athletes of the Year."
The 2025 World Athletics Awards will also feature several other honours, including the Rising Star Awards, Coaching Achievement Award, Woman of the Year, Photograph of the Year, Member Federation Award and the prestigious President’s Award.
