Jefferson-Wooden, Russell and Werro finalists for world award

Alison dos Santos, Armand Duplantis and Sebastian Sawe are the three men’s finalists for the 2026 World Athletics World Athlete of the Year award. The winner will be announced on 29 November at the gala in Monaco.

American Jefferson-Wooden won the 100 metres and 200 metres at the Ultimate Championship and set the year’s fastest times in both events: 10.62 and 21.47 seconds, respectively. Her time in the longer event is the third fastest in history.

Her compatriot Masai Russell, the Olympic champion, set the world record in the 100 metres hurdles with 12.09 seconds. She finished unbeaten over the distance, recorded nine of the ten fastest times of the season and won both the Ultimate Championship and the Diamond League.

Switzerland’s Audrey Werro won the 800 metres titles at the Ultimate Championship, the Diamond League and the European Championships. She broke the Diamond League record three times, lowering it to 1:53.70, the world’s fastest time of the year and the third fastest in history.

An international panel of athletics experts selected the ten nominees. The finalists were chosen in a vote involving fans, athletes, the World Athletics Family and members of the media and the World Athletics Family.

The awards format changes in 2026: the separate track, field and out-of-stadium categories are being removed. Instead, three women and three men compete for the two World Athlete of the Year titles.

Race walker María Pérez, from Orce (Granada), won gold in the half marathon race walk at the European Championships in Birmingham, with a world record of 1:30:06. In 2025 she received the women’s World Athletics award in the out-of-stadium category.

At the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, she defended her Budapest 2023 double in the 20 km and 35 km race walks, becoming the first woman to defend two individual world titles.

Marileidy Paulino finished her 400 metres season unbeaten, won the Ultimate Championship and regained the Diamond League title. According to World Athletics, her 48.48 seconds was the world’s fastest time of 2026 and a Diamond League record; she ran under 49 seconds in eight races.

Chase Jackson, the world indoor champion, put the shot 21.14 metres, the second-best mark of the century. Yan Ziyi, aged 18, threw the javelin 71.74 metres, second on the all-time list behind Barbora Spotakova. Camryn Rogers, Olympic gold medallist in Paris, threw the hammer 81.13 metres, also second on the all-time list.

The men’s finalists

Brazil’s Alison dos Santos broke the 400 metres hurdles world record with 45.80 seconds and won all 11 of his hurdles races, including the Diamond League final and the Ultimate Championship.

Sweden’s Armand Duplantis raised the pole vault world record to 6.31 metres and won the Ultimate Championship, the World Indoor Championships and the European Championships. He won this award in 2025.

Kenya’s Sebastian Sawe won the London Marathon in 1:59:30, a world record and the first sub-two-hour time in a record-eligible marathon.

The remaining ten men’s nominees were, in order, Josh Kerr, of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; Ja’Kobe Tharp and Kenneth Bednarek, of the United States; Collen Kebinatshipi, of Botswana; Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, of Sri Lanka; Andy Díaz Hernández, of Italy; and Kristjan Čeh, of Slovenia. Kerr broke the mile world record, Tharp broke the 110 metres hurdles record and Bednarek won the 100 metres and 200 metres at the Ultimate Championship.

The other gala awards

The gala will also present the men’s and women’s Rising Stars awards, Coach of the Year, President’s Award and, for the first time, Moment of the Year. The Rising Stars finalists have not yet been announced.

The contenders for Moment of the Year are Botswana’s men’s 4×400 metres relay team, winners on home soil at the World Athletics Relays; Kerr, for his 3:42.66 in London; and Sawe, for his marathon record in London.