In November 2025, Swedish pole vault star and double Olympic champion Armand “Mondo” Duplantis and American sprinter Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone were named the World Athletes of the Year in the ‘Men’s ’ and ‘Women’s’ category, respectively, at the 2025 World Athletic awards ceremony held in Monaco.
- With this, Duplantis won the Men’s World Athlete of the Year title for a 3rd time (2020 and 2022) while Levrone won the Women’s Athlete of the Year title for 2nd time (2022).
- Duplantis also received the Men’s Field Athlete of the Year award, while McLaughlin‑Levrone was named Women’s Track Athlete of the Year.
Exam Hints:
- Event: World Athletics Awards 2025
- Venue: Monaco
- World Athletes of the Year: Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis (Men’s Category) and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (Women’s Category)
- Rising Star Award Winners: Edmund Serem from Kenya, (Men’s Category), Zhang Jiale from China(Women’s Category)
- Coaching Achievement Award: Michael O’Connor (Ireland)
- Member Federation Award: China
About World Athletic awards:
Overview: The World Athletics Awards are held annually to honor the best athletes, coaches, and officials in track and field (athletics) worldwide.
- Inaugurated in 2001, the awards recognize the top male and female athletes each year.
Organizer: The awards are organized by World Athletics(WA), the global governing body for track and field sports.
Selection of Finalists: Finalists are shortlisted based on their performance, consistency, and impact during the year.
- Winners are determined through a combination of votes from the World Athletics Council, media representatives, and fans.
About 2025 World Athletes of the Year:
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone: She won the women’s 400 metre (m) title at 20th edition of World Athletics Championship(WAC) held in Tokyo (Japan) with record time of 47.78 seconds (s), breaking the over 40 year old championship record.
- Following this win, she became the 1st athlete in history to win world titles in both the 400 m flat and the 400 m hurdles.
Armand “Mondo” Duplantis: In 2025 WA Championship, Mondo scripted history by breaking the men’s pole vault world record 4 times and was undefeated in 16 competitions, winning world titles in both indoors and outdoors.
- Also, he is the 1st male pole vaulter in modern history to remain undefeated for two successive years.
Other Winners:
Rising Star Award: Edmund Serem (Kenya), a bronze medallist in the 3000 m steeplechase in Tokyo and Zhang Jiale (China), junior world record holder, won the “Rising Stars” awards in ‘men’s’ and ‘women’s’ category, respectively.
Out of Stadium Athletes of Year: Spain’s Maria Perez (Women’s category) and Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe (Men’s category) were named as the winners of 2025 out of stadium athletes of the year.
Coaching Achievement Award: Michael O’ Connor (from Ireland), with a coaching career spanning over 20 years, has received the 2025 Coaching Achievement Award, in recognition of his outstanding commitment to athlete development.
Woman of the Year: Kenyan athletics coach Ruth Jepchumba Bundotich won the 2025 World Athletics Woman of the Year Award, recognising her outstanding leadership, and exceptional contributions to the growth of women’s athletics in Kenya and globally.
World Athletics Photograph of the Year: This year, Norwegian photojournalist Vegard Grott was named as the winner of 2025 World Athletics Photograph of the Year, in recognition of evocative images of athletes competing in the Dream Mile.
List of Winners at World Athletics Awards 2025:
| Award Name | Winner Name |
|---|---|
| Women’s World Athlete of the Year | Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (The United States of America, USA) |
| Men’s World Athlete of the Year | Mondo Duplantis (Sweden) |
| Women’s Track Athlete of the Year | Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (The USA) |
| Men’s Track Athlete of the Year | Emanuel Wanyonyi (Kenya) |
| Women’s Field Athlete of the Year | Nicola Olyslagers (Australia) |
| Men’s Field Athlete of the Year | Mondo Duplantis (Sweden) |
| Women’s Out of Stadium Athlete of the Year | Maria Perez (Spain) |
| Men’s Out of Stadium Athlete of the Year | Sabastian Sawe (Kenya) |
| Women’s Rising Star | Zhang Jiale (China) |
| Men’s Rising Star | Edmund Serem (Kenya) |
| Coaching Achievement Award | Michael O’Connor (Ireland) |
| President’s Award | Bruce McAvaney (Australian Sports Commentator) |
| Woman of the Year | Ruth Jepchumba Bundotich (Kenya) |
| International Fair Play Award | Tim Van de Velde (Belgium) |
| Photograph of the Year | Vegard Grott (Norway) |
| Member Federation Award | China |
About World Athletics (WA):
In July 1912, the ‘International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF)’ was established as the global governing body for the sport of track and field athletics. Later, it was renamed as ‘World Athletics (WA)’ in 2019.
President- Sebastian Coe
Headquarters- Monaco
