Kenyan distance runners Agnes Ngetich and Sabastian Sawe have been nominated for the 2026 World Athlete of the Year awards.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsThe two Kenyans are part of a star-studded 20-athlete shortlist announced ahead of the World Athletics Awards in Monaco on Sunday, 29 November, with 10 nominees selected for the women’s award and another 10 for the men’s honour.Ngetich has enjoyed a remarkable 2026 season, highlighted by her victory at the World Athletics Half Marathon Championships, where she won the title by 50 seconds in a women-only world record of 1:05:15.How AK is leveraging AFCON 2027 upgrades to prepare Kasarani for 2029 World ChampionshipsThe Kenyan also delivered a commanding performance at the World Cross Country Championships, winning the title by 42 seconds.Her season has been further underlined by world-leading performances over the track distances, with Ngetich clocking 8:08.95 for 3000m and 28:58 for 10,000m.Ngetich is up against a formidable women’s field that includes Ethiopian marathon star Tigist Assefa, American shot putter Chase Jackson, American sprinter Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, Dominican Republic 400m specialist Marileidy Paulino, Spanish race walker María Pérez, Canadian hammer thrower Camryn Rogers, American hurdler Masai Russell, Swiss 800m runner Audrey Werro and Chinese javelin thrower Yan Ziyi.##NAJAVA_MECA_10012302##Sawe among men’s eliteSawe’s nomination comes after a historic marathon season in which he etched his name into the record books.The Kenyan won the London Marathon in a world-record 1:59:30, becoming the first man to break the two-hour barrier in a record-eligible marathon.His performance places him alongside some of the biggest names in the sport on the men’s shortlist.Collen Kebinatshipi reveals next target after dominant seasonSawe will face competition from American sprinter Kenneth Bednarek, Slovenian discus thrower Kristjan Čeh, Italian triple jumper Andy Díaz Hernández, Brazilian 400m hurdler Alison dos Santos, Swedish pole vault star Mondo Duplantis, Botswana 400m runner Collen Kebinatshipi, Great Britain’s Josh Kerr, Sri Lankan javelin thrower Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage and American hurdler Ja’Kobe Tharp.Star-studded shortlistsThe nominees reflect some of the most outstanding performances of the 2026 season, including achievements at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championships, World Athletics Series events, one-day meeting circuits, Label road races and other competitions around the world.Among the women’s nominees, Assefa won the Berlin Marathon in 2:11:04, the third-fastest time in history, before winning the London Marathon in the women-only world record of 2:15:41.##NAJAVA_MECA_10011837##Jefferson-Wooden completed a sprint double at the Ultimate Championships and posted world-leading times of 10.62 in the 100m and 21.47 in the 200m.Paulino, meanwhile, won the Ultimate 400m title and regained the Diamond League crown after an unbeaten campaign in which she ran under 49 seconds in eight races. Her season was highlighted by a world-leading 48.48.Russell enjoyed an unbeaten season in the 100m hurdles, setting a world record of 12.09, while winning both the Ultimate and Diamond League titles.Kenyan veteran breaks World Record in SpainWerro won the Ultimate, Diamond League and European 800m titles and improved the Diamond League record three times, eventually setting a world-leading 1:53.70.On the men’s side, Duplantis once again dominated the pole vault, improving his world record to 6.31m while winning the Ultimate, world indoor and European titles.Kerr set a world mile record of 3:42.66, while winning the Ultimate 1500m, world indoor 3000m and Commonwealth Games mile titles.##NAJAVA_MECA_10011835##Kebinatshipi enjoyed a breakthrough campaign in the 400m, winning the Ultimate and Diamond League titles and lowering the Diamond League record three times to 43.40.Pathirage, meanwhile, won the Ultimate, Diamond League, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games javelin titles and produced a world-leading national record of 92.62m.How the winner will be decidedAn eight-member panel of statisticians, comprising two World Athletics representatives and one member from each of the six continental area associations, selected the nominees.Naomi Korir's 13-year battle that almost denied her a career in runningThe final ranking from first to 10th will be determined through a four-way voting process, with each group contributing 25 per cent of the final vote.The voting groups are World Athletics fans, athletes who competed at World Athletics Series events in 2026, accredited media and the wider World Athletics Family.The six finalists- three women and three men will be announced on November 10 and 11, before they travel to Monaco for the World Athletics Awards on November 29, where the winners will be revealed live on stage.
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