MONACO — Kenyan middle-distance sensation Emmanuel Wanyonyi was on Sunday crowned the 2025 World Athletics Male Track Athlete of the Year following a stellar season that cemented his status as one of the sport’s brightest talents.
The 21-year-old claimed the award after a breakthrough year highlighted by World Championship glory, a Diamond League title, and multiple standout performances in the 800 metres.
At the World Championships in Tokyo, Wanyonyi clocked a championship record of 1:41.44, securing gold and posting the world-leading mark for 2025. His season also featured four of the year’s top six 800m performances, underscoring his dominance and consistency on the track.
Wanyonyi becomes only the third Kenyan man to win the prestigious honour since its inception in 1988, joining the ranks of legends David Rudisha and Eliud Kipchoge.
At the awards ceremony held in Monaco, he was named ahead of American sprint star Noah Lyles, keeping the award on the African continent following Letsile Tebogo’s remarkable 2024 season for Botswana.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe hailed the athletes, describing the event as a celebration of track and field excellence.
“Tonight, we honour our greatest men’s and women’s athletes and rising stars across track, field, and beyond,” Coe said, highlighting a landmark season that featured record-breaking performances at the Tokyo World Athletics Championships.
Kenya celebrated further successes on the night. Marathoner Sabastian Sawe was named Out-of-Stadium Athlete of the Year after victories in the London and Berlin Marathons, including a world-leading 2:02:16 in Berlin.
Seventeen-year-old Edmund Serem earned the Rising Star of 2025 award after claiming bronze in the 3000m steeplechase in Tokyo, becoming one of the youngest honorees at the ceremony.
The evening’s top honours went to World champions Mondo Duplantis and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who were named World Athletes of the Year for their exceptional performances across 2025.
Wanyonyi’s triumph caps a historic year for Kenyan athletics, reaffirming the nation’s enduring excellence in middle-distance running and spotlighting the next generation of track stars poised to make their mark globally.