Olympic and world 1,500 metres champion Faith Kipyegon wants the double Olympic and world champion Beatrice Chebet crowned the 2025 Women’s Track Athlete of the Year.
Kipyegon, who made history as the first woman to win four world titles in 1,500m in Tokyo last month, said Chebet’s performance once again stands out from the pool of five women nominees for this year’s award.
Kipyegon also won silver in 5,000m in Tokyo besides breaking her own 1,500m world record this year.
Kenya's Faith Kipyegon crosses the finish line to win the women's 1500m final at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo on September 16, 2025.
Photo credit: Reuters
Olympic and world 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi is the only Kenyan male athlete nominated for the Men’s Track Athlete of the Year award.
Wanyonyi won the world 800m title and sealed his third consecutive Diamond League Trophy to earn yet another nomination. He will battle World 200m and 4x100m champion Noah Lyles, of USA, who also claimed bronze in 100m in Tokyo and Jimmy Gressier, who handed France its maiden world 10,000m title, world 5,000m bronze as well as Diamond League 3,000m title.
Kenya's Emmanuel Wanyonyi celebrates winning the gold medal at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo on September 20, 2025.
Photo credit: Reuters
Others are Americans world and Diamond League 110m hurdles champion Cordell Tinch and Rai Benjamin, the world 400m hurdles champion.
In fact, Kipyegon feels an injustice was committed last year when Chebet, who broke the 10,000m world record before going for the Paris Summer Games glory, was denied the 2024 Women’s Track Athlete of the Year.
“I really don’t know how they vote but that is a story for another day,” said Kipyegon, adding, “All the five nominees performed well in a season that was marked with excitement and upsets. But Chebet stands out.”
Kipyegon noted that Chebet is the only woman in history to hold Olympic and world titles in two track events as well as world records over the two distances.
“Only men have achieved such – Kenenisa Bekele (10,000m and 5,000m) and Usain Bolt (200m and 100m),” Kipyegon told Nation Sports .
“If that doesn’t count, then I don’t know what will. Those were landmark world records,” said Kipyegon who won the 2023 Women’s Track Athlete of the Year award.
Chebet dropped defending champion, Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay, with 200m to go to help Kenya recapture the world 10,000m title after a decade, in 30 minutes and 37.61 seconds in Tokyo.
Chebet, 25, won her maiden world 5,000m title in a commanding fashion. She waited patiently before charging forward on the homestretch, clocking 14:54.36 seconds to win and dethrone compatriot Kipyegon off the title.
Chebet broke the 5,000m world record with new time of 13:58.06 during the national trials for the world championships in Eugene on July 5. She became the first woman to run under 14 minutes.
Kenya's Beatrice Chebet celebrates winning the women's 10,000m Final at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo on September 13, 2025.
Photo credit: Reuters
Last year, Chebet set a new world record in 10,000m (28:54.14) during the Olympics trials in Eugene, US, making history as the first woman to run under 29 minutes.
Chebet said she is happy to be nominated, again, adding that all women performed extremely well this year.
“I believe each nominated athlete deserves to be crowned the athlete of the year,” she said. “I urge Kenyans to vote for us; that’s what will count on to bring the award home.”
Kipyegon improved her 1,500m world record by 0.36 seconds to 3:48.68, becoming the first woman to break the 3:49 barrier at the Prefontaine Classic on July 5 before her historic victory in Tokyo.
Paris Olympics 400m hurdles and 4×400m relay gold medallist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA) was shockingly crowned the 2024 Women’s Track Athlete of the Year.
McLaughlin-Levrone, who won the 400m and 4x400m relay in Tokyo, and her compatriot Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, who dashed to a hat-trick of victories in 100m, 200m and 4x100m in Tokyo, have been nominated alongside World and Diamond League 400m hurdles champion Femke Bol from the Netherlands.
“This was one of our best seasons but all those who have been nominated chalked outstanding performances, starting from Kipyegon, McLaughlin-Levrone and Jefferson-Wooden,” said Chebet’s coach, Peter Bii.
The vote to determine the finalists is now open on World Athletics social media platforms, and will close on October 19.
The nominees for the Field Athlete of the Year awards will be announced on October 20 while the nominees for the Out of Stadium Athlete of the Year awards will be announced on October 27.
The overall women’s and men’s World Athlete of the Year award winners will be selected from among the track, field and out of stadium category winners.
A panel of international experts has compiled a long list of nominees for each of the three main award categories. Voting will take place to determine the two finalists in each category.
The World Athletics Council’s vote will count for 50 percent of the result, while the World Athletics Family’s votes and social media votes will each count for 25 percent of the result.
The World Athletics Council and the World Athletics Family will cast their votes by email, while the social vote will be open on Facebook, Instagram and X. Individual graphics for each nominee will be posted; a ‘like’ on Facebook and Instagram or a repost on X will count as one vote.
The 2025 World Athletics Awards also includes the Rising Star awards, Coaching Achievement Award, Woman of the Year, Photograph of the Year, Member Federation Award and President’s Award.
