The news desk
On October 7, 2026, World Athletics announced the 20-person nominee list for the 2026 Athlete of the Year and opened fan voting; fan voting will select the top three. The list includes Kenyan athlete Sabastian Sawe, who completed the first sub-two-hour marathon in 1:59:30, Josh Kerr, who broke the men's one-mile world record, and Canadian athlete Camryn Rogers, who set a North American hammer throw record. Regarding the voting deadline, earlier reports said it closed at 6 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on October 16, while later reports said voting closed on October 17. Later reports also mentioned that three distance runners—Sabastian Sawe, Tigst Assefa, and Agnes Ngetich—received nominations, and that this year there is no longer a separate road running award, so the three will compete for this main award alongside top athletes from track and field events. The event is currently in the nomination announcement and voting stage, and the final result has not yet been produced.
World Athletics has announced the 20 nominees for 2026 Athlete of the Year and opened fan voting to pick the top three, with voting closing Oct. 16 at 6 p.m. EST. The list includes Kenya's Sabastian Sawe, who ran the first sub-two-hour marathon in 1:59:30, Josh Kerr, who broke the men's mile world record, and Canada's Camryn Rogers, who set a North American hammer throw record.
Sabastian Sawe, Tigst Assefa and Agnes Ngetich, three distance runners, have been nominated for World Athlete of the Year. With no separate road running award this year, the three will compete against the top athletes across track and field for the main prize, with voting closing on October 17.