Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis and Dutch hurdler Femke Bol, both recent European Athletes of the Year, headline a shortlist of twelve elite athletes vying for the prestigious World Athletics Athlete of the Year award for 2025.
The final list, announced by World Athletics, predominantly features athletes who secured world championship titles in Tokyo in 2025. Final voting is currently underway and will continue for another week.
Duplantis, a three-time recipient of the award, is widely considered the favorite in field events after a year marked by multiple titles and world records. He is contending against young Italian long jump champion Matteo Furlani.
Bol, a dominant figure in the 400-meter hurdles, is shortlisted for track races. She claimed a World Championship title this year. Her rival, American Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, also known for the 400-meter hurdles, opted to compete in the 400-meter flat event this season.
The 12 finalists are divided into six distinct categories: male and female road events, track races, and field events.
For female field events, American long jumper Tara Davis-Woodhall and Australian high jumper Nicola Olyslagers are nominated.
In male track races, American Noah Lyles, a triple 200-meter champion, and Kenyan Emmanuel Wanyoni, the 800-meter champion, are the contenders.
The male road event finalists include Kenyan marathoner Sebastian Sawe, who won races in London and Berlin, and Tanzanian Alphonce Simbu, a world champion from Tokyo. Sawe is the only nominee not to have won a 2025 Tokyo World Championship title among the finalists.
Kenyan marathon runner Peres Jepchirchir and Spanish race walker Maria Perez complete the female road event category. Perez achieved double titles in Japan over 20km and 35km.
Portuguese triple jump world champion Pedro Pichardo was among several athletes dropped from the previous five-name shortlist.