World marathon record holder Sabastian Kimaru Sawe and freshly crowned world half marathon record holder Agnes Chebet Ngetich have been shortlist for the 2026 World Athlete of the Year awards.
Yesterday, the World Athletics named 20 (10 men and 10 women) athletes for the crown with Kenya having two for the World Athlete of the Year awards following their good performances across the track, field and road where the winners will be announced November 29th.
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.
Sabastian Kimaru 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
Others are Tigst Assefa (Ethiopia), Chase Jackson (USA), Melissa Jefferson-Wooden ( USA), Marileidy Paulino (Dominican Republic), María Pérez ( Spain), Camryn Rogers (Canada), Masai Russell (USA), Audrey Werro (Switzerland), Yan Ziyi (China), Kenneth Bednarek (USA), Kristjan Čeh (Slovenia), Andy Díaz Hernández (Italy), Alison dos Santos ( Brazil), Mondo Duplantis (Sweden), Collen Kebinatshipi (Botswana), Josh Kerr (Great Britain & Northern Ireland), Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage (Sri Lanka), Ja’Kobe Tharp (USA),