Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe and Agnes Ngetich have made the nominees’ list for the World Athlete of the Year honours, released by World Athletics on Tuesday.
The two are the only Kenyans who have made the cut to the 20-nominee shortlist for the World Athletics Awards, which will take place in Monaco on 29 November.
The nominees were selected by an international panel of athletics experts, with Ngetich included among the 10 contenders for Women’s World Athlete of the Year, while Sawe is among the 10 nominees for Men’s World Athlete of the Year.
This comes after they enjoyed a sensational year in the sport. The nominations reflect some of the standout performances achieved at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship and World Athletics Series events held throughout the year, as well as various one-day meeting circuits, Label road races and other competitions around the world.
ALSO READ: Sabastian Sawe shatters marathon world record with historic sub-2-hour London triumph
For Sawe, he turned the 2026 distance-running season into pure sporting history before an untimely injury brought his magical run to a halt.
His masterpiece came at the London Marathon on April 26, where he became the first runner ever to break the elusive two-hour barrier in an official, record-eligible race.
Sawe crossed the line in a mind-boggling 1:59:30, smashing Kelvin Kiptum’s previous world record of 2:00:35.
What made it even more jaw-dropping was his late-race surge. After a conservative first half of 1:00:29, he unleashed a historic 59:01 second half.
ALSO READ: ‘No limits’: Marathon record holder Sabastian Sawe eyes more history
The momentum was building towards another legendary showdown on the fast, flat streets of the Berlin Marathon in September.
Tragically, the toll of his superhuman training caught up with him, and scans revealed a severe stress fracture in his right tibia. Forced to withdraw just weeks before the race, Sawe’s season was cut short.
Sawe faces a stacked field for the 2026 Men’s World Athlete of the Year award. Sprinters Kenneth Bednarek and Collen Kebinatshipi, hurdlers Alison dos Santos and Ja’Kobe Tharp, and middle-distance star Josh Kerr all enjoyed record-breaking seasons.
In the field events, Mondo Duplantis raised his pole vault world record to 6.31m, while Kristjan Čeh, Andy Díaz Hernández and Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage dominated their respective disciplines.
ALSO READ: Agnes Ngetich breaks women-only half marathon world record
For Ngetich, she matched that history-making 2026 season step for step, cementing herself as the queen of out-of-stadium distance running.
The 25-year-old’s season began with a masterclass at the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, where she demolished the elite field by 42 seconds to keep the individual crown in Kenyan hands.
She carried that form onto the track and roads, running a world-leading 8:08.95 over 3000m in Monaco and a sensational 28:58 10K in Lille.
Her crowning moment came on September 20 at the World Road Running Championships in Copenhagen.
Despite insisting she would run tactically, Ngetich broke away alone just three kilometres in, braving the wet Danish tarmac before crossing the finish at Christiansborg Castle in 1:05:15, taking a second off Peres Jepchirchir’s women-only half-marathon world record.
How can fans vote for Sawe and Ngetich for the 2026 World Athlete of the Year honours?
An eight-member panel of statisticians – two members from World Athletics and one from each of the six area associations – selected the nominees.
A four-way vote, which closes on Saturday, 17 October, at midnight CEST/1am EAT, will now determine their final ranking, from first to 10th.
Each of the four voting groups will contribute 25% of the final vote:
- World Athletics fans voting by survey
- Athletes who have competed at World Athletics Series events during 2026
- Members of the media, including TV and radio commentators, print journalists and content creators who have been accredited at World Athletics Series events in 2026
- World Athletics Family, including Council members; commission members; athlete representatives; World Athletics Series event local organising committee chairs; Diamond League, World Indoor Tour Gold and Continental Tour Gold meeting directors; member federation presidents; official partners; and World Athletics staff
The six finalists – three for the women’s World Athlete of the Year award and three for the men’s – will be announced on 10 and 11 November and invited to Monaco for the World Athletics Awards on 29 November, when each winner will be announced live on stage.
Other awards presented on stage will include the men’s and women’s Rising Star honours, Coach of the Year, the President’s Award and, for the first time, the Moment of the Year award.