★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★
★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★
≡ WORLD ATHLETICS AWARDS ≡
A well-deserved repeat of past honors highlighted the World Athletics Awards in Monaco, where Swedish pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis and American star Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone were recognized as the athletes of the year (again):
● Duplantis, 26, won the World Indoor Championships gold in China in March and the World Athletics Championships title in Tokyo, and set world records of 6.27 m (20-6 3/4) indoors in February, 6.28 m (20-7 1/4) in June, 6.29 m (20-7 1/2) in August and 6.30 m (20-8) at the Worlds in September. He has won 36 meets in a row. He said:
“I have a lot of joy that I hope to spread when I’m on the track; I have an immense passion and joy for what I do. I’m so obsessed with pole vaulting and I love pushing myself. I hope that I can inspire the next generation to try athletics, and even pole vaulting. If I can inspire even just a few people to do it, then I feel I’m doing my job.”
● McLaughlin-Levrone, also 26, left the security of the women’s 400 m hurdles in 2025 to try the 400 m. She had already won two Olympic hurdles titles and a Worlds gold in 2022, but set out to see what she could do on the flat. From a 2023 best of 48.74, she took the American Record to 48.29 in the World Championships semifinal in Tokyo, then zoomed to no. 2 all-time at 47.78 to win the Worlds gold in September. And she added another 4×400 m gold, her fifth global relay title as well. She said:
“Track and field is, I believe, the best sport in the world. I want to continue to show the world that we are some of the best athletes around. For me, 2025 was a year of stepping outside of the comfort zone and pushing the bounds of what was mentally and physically possible. I want to continue pushing boundaries in 2026.“
Both were deserving and both have a lot more to achieve in their careers. But they have done a lot already. For Duplantis, this is his third overall Athlete of the Year award, also in 2020 and 2022 and his third straight year to win top field-athlete honors. McLaughlin-Levrone won her prior Athlete of the Year accolade in 2022 and also won the women’s track athlete of the year in 2024 to go with her overall Athlete of the Year honors.
They were not the only awardees on a busy night:
● Men/Track Athlete of the Year: Emmanuel Wanyonyi (KEN), still just 21, the World Champion in the 800 m in one of the greatest years for that event in history.
● Men/Out-of-Stadium Athlete of the Year: Sabastian Sawe (KEN), 30, who ran twice in 2025, winning the London Marathon in a world-leading 2:02:27 in April and then winning the Berlin Marathon in a world-leading 2:02:16 in September.
● Women/Field Athlete of the Year: Nicola Olyslagers (AUS), 28, who won the World Indoor title in Nanjing (CHN) in March and – after two Olympic silvers and a 2023 Worlds bronze – finally got her World Championships gold in Tokyo in September. She also finished the year as the world leader with her 2.04 m (6-8 1/4) at the Diamond League Final in Zurich in August.
● Women/Out-of-Stadium Athlete of the Year: Maria Perez (ESP), 29, who repeated her 2023 Worlds triumphs in both the 20 km and 35 km women’s walks at the Tokyo World Championships. She won all eight races in 2025 and finished as the world leader at 35 km in 2:38:59.
There were several other awards made during the evening, including the International Fair Play Award, co-sponsored with the International Fair Play Committee (CIFP).
The winner was Belgian Steeplechaser Tim van de Velde, who assisted Colombia’s Carlos San Martin, who was injured during a fall in heat three of the World Championships on 13 September. Van de Velde, who was out of qualifying position, stopped and helped San Martin get across the finish line, at the risk of being disqualified for illegal assistance. He explained:
“The more I look back on the moment, the more I can actually enjoy it. I never had to think twice during the race to make the decision to turn back and support him.
“It was a day in which we both suffered as Carlos crashed into a barrier and I fell at the water jump, but somehow, we made memories for a lifetime. Through our moment we have been able to share those initial feelings of disappointment and that has been a big help in coping with it all. Intense is the right word for that day, but the intensity has made room for a very positive story in the long run. Never could I have imagined getting so much recognition for something that felt very natural to me.”
The World Athletics Awards were instituted in 1988, making 2025 the 38th edition.
¶
★ Receive our exclusive, weekday TSX Recap by e-mail by clicking here.
★ Sign up a friend to receive the TSX Recap by clicking here.
★ Please consider a donation here to keep this site going.
For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!
