Sabastian Sawe, Agnes Ngetich Headline Star-Studded 2026 World Athlete of the Year Shortlist

World Athletics has unveiled the 20 athletes shortlisted for the prestigious 2026 World Athlete of the Year awards, with the nominees recognised for extraordinary performances across the track, field and road.

The shortlist features 10 women and 10 men who produced remarkable campaigns featuring world records, championship victories and historic performances. The winners will be announced at the World Athletics Awards in Monaco on 29 November.

Tigst Assefa – Ethiopia

Tigst Assefa enjoyed another spectacular marathon season, winning both the Berlin and London Marathons. Her 2:11:04 in Berlin ranks as the third-fastest women's marathon ever recorded, while her 2:15:41 in London set a world record for a women-only race.

Chase Jackson – USA

Chase Jackson cemented her status among the world's best shot putters by breaking the North American record twice, reaching 21.02m and then 21.14m. She also claimed the World Indoor title and added a Diamond League record before securing the Diamond Trophy.

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden – USA

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden produced one of the season's standout sprint performances by completing a remarkable 100m and 200m double at the Ultimate Championship. Her 10.62 in the 100m and 21.47 in the 200m, which ranks third on the all-time list, underlined her extraordinary speed.

Agnes Ngetich – Kenya

Agnes Ngetich delivered a season packed with historic performances, winning both the World Cross Country and World Half Marathon titles. She also set global bests over 3000m and 10km, including a stunning 28:58 for 10km, further establishing herself as one of the world's premier distance runners.

Marileidy Paulino – Dominican Republic

Marileidy Paulino was virtually untouchable over 400m, completing an undefeated season while running under 49 seconds eight times. She won the Ultimate Championship and Diamond League titles and produced a world-leading 48.48, a Diamond League record.

María Pérez – Spain

María Pérez made history by setting the first world record for the women's half marathon race walk, clocking 1:30:06. She followed that achievement by dominating the European Championships, winning the title by a commanding 58-second margin.

Camryn Rogers – Canada

Camryn Rogers continued to dominate the hammer throw, retaining her Commonwealth Games title and producing the five longest throws of the season. Her 81.13m North American record strengthened her position as the second-best performer in history.

Masai Russell – USA

Masai Russell enjoyed an unbeaten season in the 100m hurdles and produced nine of the year's 10 fastest times. Her defining moment came when she lowered the world record to 12.09 seconds, while also sweeping the Ultimate Championship and Diamond League titles.

Audrey Werro – Switzerland

Audrey Werro completed a remarkable clean sweep of the Ultimate Championship, Diamond League and European 800m titles. She broke the Diamond League record three times during the season, eventually reaching a world-leading 1:53.70 that places her third on the all-time list.

Yan Ziyi – China

Yan Ziyi announced herself on the world stage with a sensational 71.74m javelin throw, setting both Asian and world U20 records. She went on to win the Diamond League and Asian Games titles, marking herself out as one of the sport's brightest young stars.

Kenneth Bednarek – USA

Kenneth Bednarek produced a superb sprint campaign by winning the 100m and 200m at the Ultimate Championship. His 19.52 in the 200m was a world-leading personal best, while he also captured the Diamond League 200m final.

Kristjan Čeh – Slovenia

Kristjan Čeh successfully defended his European discus title with a championship-record throw of 72.51m. He also captured the Diamond League trophy and set a meeting record of 71.29m at the Memorial van Damme.

Andy Díaz Hernández – Italy

Andy Díaz Hernández completed a rare clean sweep of the World Indoor, Diamond League and European triple jump titles. His 18.15m leap placed him fourth on the all-time world list and confirmed his status among the event's elite.

Alison dos Santos – Brazil

Alison dos Santos rewrote the 400m hurdles record books with a stunning 45.80 world record. He remained unbeaten across all 11 of his hurdles races, including the Diamond League Final, and added the Ultimate Championship title.

Mondo Duplantis – Sweden

Mondo Duplantis once again pushed the boundaries of pole vaulting, raising his own world record to 6.31m. His historic season also brought Ultimate Championship, World Indoor and European titles, adding another chapter to his extraordinary career.

Collen Kebinatshipi – Botswana

Collen Kebinatshipi enjoyed a breakthrough season, winning the Ultimate Championship 400m title in 43.39 to move into the all-time top five. He also broke the Diamond League record three times and became the first athlete to record six sub-44-second runs in a single year.

Josh Kerr – Great Britain & Northern Ireland

Josh Kerr made history by setting a world mile record of 3:42.66, powered by a world-leading 1500m split of 3:27.62. His season also included Ultimate 1500m, World Indoor 3000m and Commonwealth Games mile titles.

Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage – Sri Lanka

Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage dominated the javelin circuit, winning 13 of his 14 competitions. He collected Ultimate, Diamond League, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games titles while producing a world-leading national record of 92.62m.

Sabastian Sawe – Kenya

Sabastian Sawe etched his name into marathon history at the London Marathon, becoming the first athlete to break the two-hour barrier on an official, record-eligible course. His astonishing 1:59:30 made him one of the defining athletes of the 2026 season.

Ja’Kobe Tharp – USA

Ja’Kobe Tharp stunned the hurdles world by breaking the senior 110m hurdles world record, clocking an extraordinary 12.75 seconds at the NCAA Championships and announcing himself as one of the sport's emerging stars.

An eight-member panel of athletics statisticians selected the 20 nominees before the final voting process began.

The eventual winners will be determined through four equally weighted voting groups, with each accounting for 25 per cent of the final result. The groups are athletics fans, athletes, accredited media and the wider World Athletics Family.

Voting closes on 17 October at midnight CEST.

Six Finalists to Be Revealed in November

The field will be reduced to six finalists, with three men and three women set to be announced on 10 and 11 November.

The finalists will then gather in Monaco for the World Athletics Awards on 29 November, where the 2026 World Athletes of the Year will be crowned.

The ceremony will also recognise other outstanding contributions to athletics, including the Men's and Women's Rising Star awards, Coach of the Year, President's Award and the inaugural Moment of the Year award.