Noah Lyles, Emmanuel Wanyonyi and… 7 Male Athletes Who Lit Up Track and Field in 2025

The year 2025 witnessed yet more thrills and spills in track and field and there are a number of male athletes who were heads and shoulders above the rest.

The only athlete to achieve a perfect season, Mondo Duplantis was in a class of his own in 2025. The Swedish pole vaulter remained undefeated throughout the year, capturing gold at both the World Indoor and World Outdoor Championships.

In a fitting climax to his dominant season, he soared to a new world record of 6.30m at the outdoor championships. By any objective measure, Duplantis stands alone as the top male athlete of the year.

Karsten Warholm delivered a season of near-perfect dominance in the 400m hurdles. He remained undefeated throughout the year, a remarkable feat in one of track's most demanding events.

His campaign was highlighted by a stunning world record of 45.79 seconds, a performance that also secured him the World Championship title. Warholm's consistency and record-breaking speed make him the undisputed top male athlete of 2025.

The Kenyan claimed both the 800m World and Diamond League final titles but ran significantly slower than last year. He still dominated his event, winning four Diamond League series meetings before clinching the season-finale. He was also crowned Male Track Athlete of the Year.

This placement may spark some debate. Noah Lyles finished third in the 100m at the World Championships, behind the two previously mentioned Jamaicans. So why is he ranked here?

While he may not be a pure 100m specialist, Lyles was phenomenal in the 200m. Despite an injury-shortened season, he went undefeated in his signature event, capturing his fourth World gold and posting the year's fastest time of 19.51 seconds.

Lyles often enters the arena with a target on his back, and he consistently delivers on his bold promises.

While Kishane Thompson may have ended his season with a silver medal in the 100m at the World Championships in Tokyo, his overall performance was nothing short of elite. He clocked the fastest time in the world this year with a blistering 9.75 seconds.

Crucially, Thompson secured victories against every other top-tier sprinter, including his compatriot Oblique Seville, who claimed the world title. In a season without a clear favorite on paper, Thompson came the closest to establishing true dominance.

The colossal Canadian had a phenomenal year in the men's hammer throw. Katzberg's massive 84.70m heave in Tokyo was over a meter farther than anyone else's best throw in 2025 and was more than enough to earn him the World Championship gold. However, his season wasn't flawless.

Katzberg finished second on three occasions, falling to Hungary's Bence Halász at two meets in Eastern Europe and to American Rudy Winkler at the Prefontaine Classic.

In the 110m hurdles, no one reached greater heights than Cordell Tinch. He ran the world-leading time of 12.87 seconds, won the Diamond League Final, and secured the gold medal in Tokyo.

However, his record has more blemishes than the athletes ranked above him. Tinch only managed fourth place at the U.S. Indoor Championships in the 60m hurdles and failed to win the outdoor national title.

A fifth-place finish in a Grand Slam final, though early in the season, is the kind of result that impacts year-end rankings.