World marathon record holder Sabastian Sawe has been named among the three finalists for the prestigious 2026 Men’s World Athlete of the Year award following a historic season that saw him rewrite history.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsWorld Athletics announced the finalists on Tuesday, 10 November, with Sawe earning a place alongside Brazil’s Alison dos Santos and Sweden’s pole vault sensation Mondo Duplantis ahead of the World Athletics Awards ceremony in Monaco.Sawe’s nomination comes after an extraordinary campaign highlighted by his historic performance at the London Marathon on Sunday, 26 April, where he clocked a world-record 1:59:30 to become the first man to run an officially recognised marathon in under two hours under record-eligible race conditions.Millions Sheila Chepkirui pocketed after winning New York City MarathonThe Kenyan’s remarkable achievement marked a new chapter in distance running, as he shattered the previous world record and became the first athlete to break the two-hour barrier in a competitive marathon.His exploits have continued to attract global recognition, with Sawe also earning a place on the 2026 TIME100 Most Influential People in Sports list.He was also awarded Ksh8 million by President William Ruto in recognition of his historic achievement, receiving Ksh5 million for the world record and a further Ksh3 million for his major global gold medal.##NAJAVA_MECA_10105812##He was additionally honoured with custom vehicle registration plates bearing the numbers 1:59:30.The 2026 Men’s World Athlete of the Year finalists were selected through a four-way voting process involving fans, athletes, members of the media and the World Athletics Family. They emerged from an initial list of 10 nominees selected by an international panel of athletics experts.Dos Santos earned his place after setting a world 400m hurdles record of 45.80 seconds and winning the Ultimate title in 45.98 seconds, the third-fastest time in history. The Brazilian also enjoyed an unbeaten season, winning all 11 of his hurdles races, including the Diamond League Final.Details of Ferdinand Omanyala's upgraded Toyota HiluxDuplantis, meanwhile, continued his dominance in pole vault, improving his own world record to 6.31 metres while collecting Ultimate, World Indoor and European titles.Sawe will now travel to Monaco for the World Athletics Awards on Sunday, 29 November, where the winner will be announced live on stage.The Kenyan is also in contention for the inaugural Moment of the Year award, with his historic sub-two-hour marathon performance shortlisted among the standout moments of the 2026 athletics season.##NAJAVA_MECA_10105794##The remaining nominees finished in the following order: Great Britain’s Josh Kerr was fourth, followed by American Ja’Kobe Tharp, Kenneth Bednarek, Botswana’s Collen Kebinatshipi, Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, Italy’s Andy Díaz Hernández and Slovenia’s Kristjan Čeh.Besides the men’s and women’s World Athlete of the Year honours, the Monaco ceremony will recognise the men’s and women’s Rising Stars, Coach of the Year and the President’s Award.The 2026 edition will also introduce the Moment of the Year award for the first time, adding another category to the prestigious annual ceremony.Irene Cheptai makes Fair Play Awards final threeThe finalists for the Women’s World Athlete of the Year award are expected to be announced on Wednesday, 11 November.