Sabastian Sawe makes final three for World Athlete of the Year award
Sabastian Sawe on April 29, 2026 at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport after breaking the men's marathon world record at the 2026 London Marathon to become the first person to run the race in under two hours, setting a new world record with a time of 1:59:30.
What you need to know:
- Sawe made history this year when he became the first man to run a marathon in under two hours.
Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe, the marathon world record holder, is among three athletes battling for the 2026 Men’s World Athlete of the Year award.
The 31-year-old Kenyan, Brazilian 400m hurdles world record holder Alison dos Santos and Swedish pole vault world record holder Mondo Duplantis were confirmed on Tuesday as the three finalists.
The winner will be announced at the World Athletics Gala Awards on November 29 in Monaco.
The finalists were chosen through a four-way vote by fans, athletes, the media and the World Athletics family, from a list of 10 nominees selected by an international panel of athletics experts.
Sawe made history in April when he became the first man to run a marathon in under two hours, winning the London Marathon in a world record time of one hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds. He shattered the previous record of 2:00:35, set by the late Kelvin Kiptum at the Chicago Marathon on October 8, 2023, by one minute and five seconds.
Dos Santos set a world record of 45.80 seconds in the 400m hurdles at the Zurich Diamond League on August 27. He then won the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championships title in Budapest, Hungary, on September 11 in 45.98 seconds, the third-fastest time in history.
The 26-year-old was undefeated in 11 hurdles races, including the Diamond League Final in Brussels, Belgium, on September 5.
Duplantis broke the pole vault world record for the 15th time, raising it to 6.31 metres at the Mondo Classic at the IFU Arena in Uppsala, Sweden, on March 12. He also claimed the inaugural Ultimate Championships title by clearing 6.20 metres in Budapest.
Meanwhile, Agnes Ng’etich, the Kenyan world cross country and world half marathon champion, is among 10 athletes competing for the 2026 Women’s World Athlete of the Year award. The three finalists in that category will be announced on Wednesday.
Other awards to be presented at the gala include the Men’s and Women’s Rising Star honours, Coach of the Year, the President’s Award and the new Moment of the Year award. Sawe’s world record has been nominated for Moment of the Year.
Follow our WhatsApp channel for breaking news updates and more stories like this.
