When World Athletics revealed the Athlete of the Year finalists, controversy was inevitable, because when has the sport ever been free of it? Femke Bol and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone stood as the year’s defining rivals, each staking a claim to the crown. But once again, history chose its familiar side. Here’s a look at the final list of winners.

After Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s remarkable run, competing through adversity, winning the World Championships, and clocking the second-fastest time in 400m flat history, her Athlete of the Year honor felt inevitable. On the men’s side, Sweden’s pole vault phenom Mondo Duplantis, who raised the bar with four new world records this season, secured the title with equal authority.

Both Duplantis and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone went undefeated this year, leaving no doubt about who stands at the pinnacle of the sport. Before claiming the ultimate honour of World Athlete of the Year, the Swedish maestro was first crowned the Men’s Field Athlete of the Year and also secured the European Athlete of the Year title. On the track, McLaughlin-Levrone continued her dominance by earning the Women’s Track Athlete of the Year award.

Additionally, Spain’s María Pérez and Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe were recognised as the Out-of-Stadium Athletes of the Year. Ousting Noah Lyles, Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi claimed the men’s track athlete of the year, and last but not least, Australia’s Nicola Olyslagers took home the Women’s Field Athlete of the Year accolade, overlooking Tara Davis Woodhall’s stacked list of achievements.

“The World Athletics Awards is a celebration of the very best of our sport. Tonight, we honour our greatest men’s and women’s athletes and rising stars across track, field, and out of the stadium. If there’s a motto for this year’s Awards, it is ‘for the athletes, by the athletes’, and the recipients tonight will aptly receive their prizes from some of our most storied Awards winners down the years,” said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe.

“I want to thank all the athletes present for their inseparable contribution to a memorable 2025, with its crescendo World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.”

The rising stars of this year were celebrated as well. World medallists Edmund Serem of Kenya and Zhang Jiale of China received the rising star award this year. Given that, let’s have a look at what the athletes have to say about their accolades.

Armand Duplantis and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone left speechless after victory

Breaking four records this season, Mondo Duplantis at the Tokyo World Athletics Championship, went beyond his limits when he became the first athlete in the history of the sport to clear 6.30m, a barrier once thought impossible to achieve. Apart from that, he went undefeated in all of his 16 competitions, sweeping the indoor and outdoor world titles.

“It’s really important for me to win this for the field eventers. It’s very special, I’m going to really cherish this one.I genuinely try to be the best version of myself that I can possibly be. I have a lot of joy that I hope to spread when I’m on the track. I have an immense passion and joy for what I do. I’m so obsessed with pole vaulting and I love pushing myself,” said Duplantis.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone produced a phenomenal season filled with supremacy. The American standout was undefeated in both formats, 400m flats and the hurdles. In Tokyo, she completed the race with a sensational 47.78, which is the second-fastest time ever in the format, just behind East Germany’s Marita Koch in 1985. Breaking the 42-year-old championship record, she reaffirmed herself as one of the best ever to come out of the nation.

“For me, 2025 was a year of stepping outside of the comfort zone and pushing the bounds of what was mentally and physically possible. I want to continue pushing boundaries in 2026,” said Sydney.