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Three Kenyan athletes, Faith Kipyegon, Beatrice Chebet, and Emmanuel Wanyonyi, have been nominated for the prestigious World Athletics Track Athlete of the Year awards, highlighting Kenya's continued dominance in global athletics.
Kenya's athletic prowess is once again in the global spotlight as three of its brightest stars—Faith Kipyegon, Beatrice Chebet, and Emmanuel Wanyonyi—have been nominated for the coveted World Athletics Track Athlete of the Year awards for 2025. This recognition follows a remarkable year for Kenyan athletes, marked by numerous world records and dominant performances on the international stage.
The nominations, announced by World Athletics on Monday, October 13, 2025, place these Kenyan athletes among an elite group of global competitors. The awards celebrate the most outstanding track and field athletes of the year, with a particular emphasis on achievements at major events such as the World Athletics Championships.
Voting for the Track Athlete of the Year finalists is currently underway on World Athletics' social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and X, and will close on Saturday, October 19, 2025. The World Athletics Council's vote will account for 50% of the final result, while votes from the World Athletics Family and social media votes will each contribute 25%. Following this initial public vote, two finalists in each category will be selected, with the ultimate winners determined by World Athletics.
The nominees for the Field Athlete of the Year and Out of Stadium Athlete of the Year awards are expected to be announced on Monday, October 20, and Monday, October 27, 2025, respectively.
Kenya has a rich history in athletics, particularly in middle and long-distance running, consistently producing world-class athletes. The nation's success is often attributed to its high-altitude training environments and a strong cultural emphasis on running. Kenyan athletes frequently dominate major championships, bringing home numerous medals and setting world records.
World Athletics, the international governing body for the sport, organises these annual awards to honour athletes across various disciplines, including track and field, cross country running, road running, and race walking. The selection process for the World Athlete of the Year awards was revamped in 2023 and 2024 to include three event categories: track, field, and out-of-stadium, alongside an overall World Athlete of the Year award for both men and women.
Faith Kipyegon, a two-time Olympic 1500m champion, has continued to impress, breaking her own world record in the women's 1500 meters at a Diamond League meeting in Paris on July 7, 2024, with a time of 3:49.04. She also secured her third consecutive Olympic gold in the 1500m at the Paris 2024 Olympics, setting a new Olympic record of 3:51.29. Beatrice Chebet had a monumental 2024 season, becoming the first woman to break the 29-minute barrier in the 10,000m, setting a new world record of 28:54.14 at the Prefontaine Classic in May 2024. Emmanuel Wanyonyi, a rising star, won the men's 800m Olympic gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics with a time of 1:41.19, the third-fastest in history.
Key Kenyan Athletic Achievements in 2024:
The continued success of Kenyan athletes on the global stage not only brings national pride but also inspires a new generation of aspiring athletes. However, it also places a greater responsibility on sports federations and the government to invest in infrastructure, training, and anti-doping measures to maintain fair play and sustain this high level of performance.
While the nominees have been announced, the ultimate winners remain unknown until the final World Athletics Awards ceremony. The exact date of this ceremony in the coming weeks has not yet been announced.
All eyes will be on the upcoming announcements for the remaining award categories and the eventual reveal of the overall World Athletes of the Year. The 2025 World Athletics Championships, held in Tokyo, Japan, from September 13 to 21, 2025, also served as a significant platform for athletes to showcase their talents and will be a key factor in future award considerations.
