Olympics and world 800 metres champion, Emmanuel Wanyonyi of Kenya, aims to lower his personal best and add the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship title to his impressive collection of medals.
World Athletics Ultimate Championship, also known as “Ultimate Championship” is a new global track and field competition that will be organised once every two years starting next year by World Athletics, and will feature only the best athletes.
Speaking on Sunday after being named the 2025 World Athletics Track Athlete of the Year by World Athletics in Monaco, Wanyonyi, 21, also said that winning the award only two years after claiming “Male Rising Star of the Year” title has motivated him to target for more accolades.
800m Olympic and World Champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi during an interview with NTV at 2-Running Athletics Club in Chepterit, Nandi County on October 08, 2025.
Photo credit: Jared Nyataya | Nation Media Group
“Why not,” replied Wanyonyi when asked if lowering his personal best is one of his targets for next year since he added the world title in September to his 2024 Paris Olympics gold medal.
“I really can’t talk much about the World Athletics Ultimate Championships because it’s something new but I want to do something unique next year at the event. That remains a secret but it will require good preparations,” he said.
“We definitely haven’t reached the maximum yet...he is just 21, and starting,” said Baradelli. Wanyonyi won Track Athlete of the Year award ahead of America’s Noah Lyles, who retained his world 200m title, besides claiming bronze in 100m at the World Athletics Championships.
Last year, Wanyonyi improved his career best by 0.08 seconds to 1 muinute, 41.11sec when he retained his Diamond League crown in the final in Lausanne, Switzerland. That saw him tie with Denmark’s Wilson Kipketer in second place in the all-time 800m list, only behind two-time Olympic champion David Rudisha, who holds the world record time of 1:40.91 from the 2012 London Olympics.
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
“I thank my fans who voted for me across the world. I am so happy and excited,” said Wanyonyi, acknowledging that the two-lap race has become competitive and unpredictable He becomes the first Kenyan to win the Track Athlete of the Year award since the new format was introduced in 2023, having also emerged the 2023 Male Rising Star of the Year.
This season, Wanyonyi bounced from defeat in Rabat Diamond League to win in Oslo in 1:42.78 on June 12, and in Stockholm in 1:41.95 on June 15 before striking the Meet Record of 1: 41.44 on July 11 in Monaco, where he attempted the world record. World 3,000m steeplechase bronze medallist Edmund Serem claimed the 2025 Male Rising Star of the Year award.
Kenya's Emmanuel Wanyonyi celebrates after winning gold in the men's 800m at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on September 20, 2025.
Photo credit: Sarah Meyssonnier | Reuters
Swede Mondo Duplantis, who broke his own pole vault world record five times this year, with his last (6.30m) coming during his world title defence in Tokyo, was declared the 2025 World Athlete of the Year.
Duplantis, who had earlier been named the Male Field Athlete of the Year, reclaimed the top award he won last in 2020 and 2022. World 400m and 4x400m champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone from USA won the World Female Athletes of the Year.
