Protests and condemnation have flooded the World Athletics social media platforms after Kenya’s multiple Olympic and world champion, Beatrice Chebet missed out on the final list of finalists for the World Athletics awards.
World 400m and 4x400m champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, from US, and world 400m hurdles champion Femke Bol, of the Netherlands, were named the two finalists from a pool of five athletes on Tuesday.
USA's Sydney Mclaughlin (left) hugs Netherlands' Femke Bol after winning the women's 400m final and setting a new a world record during the World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon on July 22, 2022.
Photo credit: Jewel Samad | AFP
Many fans reckoned that Chebet and American Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, who won three world titles in 100m, 200m and 4x100m champion, should have made the cut.
Another top Kenyan athlete, the 1,500m world champion and record holder Faith Kipyegon, was the other nominee.
Kenya's Emmanuel Wanyonyi celebrates with his national flag after winning gold in the men's 800m at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on September 20, 2025.
Photo credit: Reuters
But Olympics and world 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi, newly-crowned World Marathon Majors champion Sabastian Sawe, and world marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir were named finalists in their respective categories.
Kenya's Peres Jepchirchir celebrates on the podium after winning the women's marathon at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on September 14, 2025.
Photo credit: Reuters
Wanyonyi faces world 100m champion Noah Lyles for the Track Athlete of the Year award, while Sawe, the London Marathon and Berlin Marathon champion, takes on world marathon champion Alphonse Simbu from Tanzania for the Male Out of Stadium Athlete of the Year award.
Jepchirchir is up against the world 20km and 35km race walk champion Maria Perez from Spain for the Female Out of Stadium Athlete of the Year top prize.
World Athletics said on Tuesday that 12 Athletes of the Year finalists had been confirmed, as the countdown to the World Athletics Awards 2025 continues.
The top two athletes in each category – track, field and out of stadium – were chosen from the first round of voting, which comprised votes from the World Athletics Council, World Athletics Family and a public vote on social media.
The World Athletics Council’s vote accounted for 50 per cent of the result, while the World Athletics Family’s votes and social media votes each accounted for 25 per cent.
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
The Athletes of the Year in each class, and the overall winners, will be revealed in Monaco on November 30.
Chebet broke the 5,000m world record at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene on July 5 in 13:58.06, becoming the first woman to crack a sub-14-minute barrier. She then completed another 5,000m and 10,000m gold medal double at the World Championships in Tokyo, mirroring her 2024 Paris Olympic double.
Dismayed by the World Athletics decision, former distance runner, American Jonathan Gault, said on his X handle: “With all due respect, Femke Bol being a finalist for Female Track Athlete of the Year over Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Beatrice Chebet is legitimately insane.”
LetsRun.com, an athletics website, said the award loses meaning when McLaughlin-Levrone and Bol are the two finalists.
“In what world was Bol’s season better than Beatrice Chebet’s? Bol didn’t even have a personal record. Chebet set a historic sub-14 world record and won two golds. Disgraceful,” said Letsrun.com. Brian Wattanga said, on World Athletics X handle, that Chebet and Jefferson-Wooden are worthy contenders.
Pablo Asunga Escobar asked what more Chebet could have done to win the award. “She broke the records and won everything on her way. What else could she have done?” said Escobar.
DMC @ClaypoolCoaches noted: “Not to disrespect Femke but to put her over Melissa, Chebet, or Faith seems outrageous.”
Kieran@carebearkieran demanded an explanation from World Athletics. “In what world is Femke Bol a finalist over Faith, Chebet, and Melissa because there’s nothing that Femke did on that track more impressive than what those three women have done this season?”
Will Wanjala said on his X handle: “It’s disappointing to see incredible African athletes such as Kipyegon and Chebet, who have consistently delivered world-class performances, being left out of the finalists for Female Track Athlete of the Year.”
This is not the first time World Athletics has come under fire over its controversial nominations and winners. In 2011, Kenya’s Vivian Cheruiyot, who had victories in 10,000m and 5,000m at the world championships, was the favourite to win the Female Athlete of the Year. However, it was Sally Pearson, of Australia, who was declared the winner with her world 100m hurdles title.
Come 2023, the world was also left in shock when World Athletics changed the categories on the day of the awards, a move that denied Kipyegon being crowned best female athlete. Instead, World Athletics came up with Track Athlete, Field Athlete and Out of Stadium categories, which elicited criticism from top athletes, including Noah Lyles and Kipyegon, among others.
Kipyegon would be declared Female Track Athlete of the Year, with Lyles winning men’s accolades. The late Kelvin Kiptum claimed the Out of Stadium award.
Kenya's Faith Kipyegon celebrates after winning the World Athletics Championships women's 1,500m final at Japan National Stadium, Tokyo, on September 16, 2025.
Photo credit: Photo | Reuters
In a previous interview, Kipyegon had rooted for Chebet, saying she had achieved what no other woman had on the track, winning two world titles in addition to a world record.
World Athletics retained the categories in 2024 but brought back the Female and Male Athlete of the Year award, where Letsile Tebogo of Botswana and Sifan Hassan won.
Many felt that Chebet, who had broken the 10,000m world record before going on to seal a double in 10,000m and 5,000m at the Paris Olympics, had achieved more than Hassan.
The Dutch won the Paris Olympics marathon, besides claiming bronze medals in 10,000m and 5,000m.
