Kenyan Trio to Battle For Top World Athletics Out of Stadium Awards

World Athletics has officially announced the five male and five female nominees for the prestigious Out of Stadium Athlete of the Year awards, a key category in the upcoming World Athletics Awards 2025.

Reigning world marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir and London and Berlin marathon champion Sabastian Sawe are among the top athletes who have made the cut to the nominations.

The nominations celebrate the most remarkable achievements in road running and race walking over the past year, a season highlighted by the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. A public vote will determine the two finalists in each category.

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The women's list features a blend of marathon champions, record-breakers, and dominant race walkers.

Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia made the list after winning a silver medal in the marathon at the World Athletics Championships. She also won the London Marathon and set a new women-only world record, establishing herself as the world leader.

Sifan Hassan secured a major victory at the Sydney Marathon and finished third at the highly competitive London Marathon.

Peres Jepchirchir was crowned world marathon champion, adding a fifth global title to her impressive collection.

Agnes Ngetich broke the women-only world record for the 10km and ran the third-fastest half-marathon in history, setting the world lead for the year.

Maria Perez of Spain has also been nominated as she remained undefeated in 2025, claiming double world titles in both the 20km and 35km race walk events.

The men's field is equally competitive, honouring champions in marathon, road racing, and race walking.

Brazilian Caio Bonfim became the world champion in the 20km race walk and also earned a silver medal in the 35km event.

Evan Dunfee of Canada has also been nominated after winning the world title in the 35km race walk, setting a new world record in the process, and also breaking the area record for the 20km race walk.

Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha posted the world-leading times in both the 5km and 10km, with his performances ranking sixth and second fastest in history, respectively.

Sabastian Sawe has also made the list after dominating the marathon circuit with victories in both London and Berlin, recording the top two marathon times of 2025.

Tanzania’s Alphonce Simbu captured the world marathon championship title and finished as the runner-up at the Boston Marathon.

Fans can cast their votes for the finalists on World Athletics' official social media channels, including Facebook, Instagram, and X. The voting period will close on November 2.

The winners will be revealed during the World Athletics Awards ceremony on November 30. These awards follow the earlier announcements of nominees for the Track Athlete of the Year (October 13) and Field Athlete of the Year (October 20).

Ultimately, the overall World Athlete of the Year for both men and women will be chosen from the winners of the track, field, and out of stadium categories.