It’s off-season on the track right now, yet the world of track and field just engaged in a massive debate! And this one was all about the 2025 World Athletics Awards. Not too long ago, World Athletics announced the nominees for the 2025 Female Track Athlete of the Year. The list included Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Beatrice Chebet, Faith Kipyegon, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, and Femke Bol. Needless to say, all five track stars had dominant seasons in their respective events. However, only two could become finalists. And turns out, the fans aren’t too happy with the final outcome. 

On November 4, World Athletics announced the finalists for the Female Track Athlete of the Year, and they were Femke Bol from the Netherlands and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone from the USA. Bol remained undefeated the entire season and won the 400m hurdles title at Worlds, while Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone switched to the 400m flat this season. But not only did she switch, she became the new world 400m champion by running the distance in just 47.78s, and the fastest woman in 40 years in the event. 

However, the other nominees had strong grounds for contention as well. Jefferson-Wooden completed a triple gold haul as she became the world champion in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay. Chebet won the 5,000m and the 10,000m races and even set a new world record in the 5,000m, clocking in at 13:58:06. And Kipyegon improved on her own world record in the 1500m, running it in 3:48:68 in Eugene and becoming the first woman to break the 3:49:00 mark in the event. She also claimed the gold in the 1500m in the Tokyo World Championships.

With such strong competition all-around, the top two were always going to leave many fans wanting. And that was exactly the case when Bol and McLaughlin-Levrone were announced, with even LetsRun.com‘s Jonathan Gault responding with, “With all due respect, Femke Bol being a finalist for Female Track Athlete of Year over Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Beatrice Chebet is legitimately insane.“

For those unaware, here’s how the award selection process works. The World Athletics Council’s vote counts 50% of the result, whereas the other 50% comprises the World Athletics Family’s votes (25%) and the social media votes on the athletes’ graphics (25%). Well, as per the graphics, where the number of likes counts as the votes, it was Faith Kipyegon (48,395) leading across X, Facebook, and Instagram. And it was Beatrice Chebet (31,334) who had the second-highest social media votes.

Yet the Kenyans’ names didn’t make it to the final stage. For comparison, Bol and McLaughlin-Levrone came in third and fourth with 23,619 and 21,107 votes. So to see neither Kenyan nor Jefferson-Wooden with her monster showing at Worlds make it to the final stage was a surprise. And fans didn’t hesitate in lashing out afterward.

Fans in disbelief as Femke Bol and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone take the top spots

Some fans argued that while Femke Bol had an impressive performance in 2025, she couldn’t have overshadowed Melissa Jefferson-Wooden or Beatrice Chebet. As one user wrote,“Those WA voting panels must really rate Femke ’cause she was 3rd in fan voting and respectfully I don’t think her resumé was top 2 this year.”

In fact, the whole fan vote component caught tons of flack online, with many questioning the wisdom of giving fans a say but then effectively discounting the result. “Kenyan athletes are the most popular among the public, yet the final result is determined by a weighted system: 50% World Athletics Council,  25% family/officials, 25% public vote, This is overriding popular opinion,” read one comment.

Another frustrated fan echoed that line of questioning, asking, “So, what was the point of asking as to retweet or like as a vote?” while another questioned the rationale behind the calculation of votes. “Whichever algorithm was used, Beatrice Chebet or Faith Kipyegon couldn’t have missed as finalists,” read another comment.

Similarly, many others demanded explanations for the finalists’ selection on X. One comment read, “In what world is Femke Bol a finalist over Faith, Chebet, and MJW. I genuinely would like an explanation. Because there’s nothing that Femke did on that track more impressive than what those 3 women have done this season.”

Nevertheless, some fans did acknowledge that Femke Bol and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone deserved the accolades. Yet, it was hard to shake off the feeling that the other three runners were snubbed. One fan highlighted that sentiment, writing, “Famke and Sydney dominated and are deserving.  Hard to overlook MJW or Chebet as finalists though. Crazy dominant years for them as well in multiple events.”

Ultimately, the choice was between five athletes who were at the top of their respective games this season. With such impressive resumes, it would have been impossible to reach a near universal consensus no matter which two athletes made the cut. So, do you agree with the choice of finalists? What are your predictions for the winner of the 2025 Female Track Athlete of the Year award?