World Athletics has announced a diverse field of elite nominees for its annual Male and Female Road Athlete of the Year awards, recognizing top performers across marathon, race walk, and distance running disciplines.
The global governing body unveiled the contenders on Monday. These awards will be presented at the World Athletics Awards 2025 ceremony.
Voting to determine the finalists is currently underway on the organization’s social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and X. The public can cast their votes until November 2.
Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa, the world marathon runner-up and London Marathon champion, is among the prominent female nominees. She is joined by the Netherlands’ Sifan Hassan, who won the Sydney Marathon and placed third in London.
The female list also includes Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya, a five-time world marathon champion, and her compatriot Agnes Ngetich, who set a new world record in the women-only 10-kilometer race. Spain’s Maria Pérez, a world champion in both 20-kilometer and 35-kilometer race walks, rounds out the women’s contenders.
Among the male nominees, Brazil’s Caio Bonfim stands out with a world title in the 20-kilometer race walk and a silver medal in the 35-kilometer event. Canada’s Evan Dunfee is recognized for setting a new world record in the 35-kilometer race walk.
Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha, who leads the world in both 5-kilometer and 10-kilometer races, is also on the list. Kenya’s Sebastian Sawe earned a nomination for winning both the London and Berlin Marathons.
Completing the male nominees is Alphonce Simbu of Tanzania, a world marathon champion and Boston Marathon runner-up.
Our finalists for the 2024 World Athletics Male Road Athlete of the Year are here! 🌟
The contenders are:
🇧🇷 Caio Bonfim
🇨🇦 Evan Dunfee
🇪🇹 Yomif Kejelcha
🇰🇪 Sebastian Sawe
🇹🇿 Alphonce SimbuYou can vote for your winner on social media! 👇 pic.twitter.com/y5E6U74s1A
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) June 24, 2024
The finalists for the 2024 World Athletics Female Road Athlete of the Year have been announced! 🌟
The contenders are:
🇪🇹 Tigst Assefa
🇳🇱 Sifan Hassan
🇰🇪 Peres Jepchirchir
🇰🇪 Agnes Ngetich
🇪🇸 MarÃa PérezVote for your winner on social media! 👇 pic.twitter.com/f4YqjUqf8D
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) June 24, 2024