Who gets your vote in the 2025 AW awards?
The Olympic gold medallist became a world 400m hurdles champion for the first time in Tokyo with a dominant performance. His time of 46.52 was the second-fastest of the year while his 46.54 in Stockholm was the third-fastest.
Another exceptional year for the Swedish superstar saw him become the world champion both indoors and outdoors again. The Diamond League champion was undefeated in 2025 and broke his world record, which now stands at 6.30m, four times.
The Italian Mattia Furlani became the youngest ever men’s long jump world champion in Tokyo, producing a lifetime best of 8.39m to claim gold at just 20 years old. He also took world indoor gold by one centimetre in Nanjing.
The Frenchman produced one of the biggest shocks of the World Championships with his 10,000m gold in Tokyo, the first non-African to win the title in 41 years. He backed that up with 5000m bronze and was also the Diamond League 3000m champion.
The Canadian successfully defended his world hammer throw title in Tokyo with a dominant series of throws, highlighted by a championship record of 84.70m that moved him to fifth on the world all-time list. The world-leading throw also broke his North American record.
Injury might have hampered his year but the American won his fourth world 200m title in Tokyo, as well as leaving Japan with 4x100m gold and 100m bronze. The Diamond League winner was unbeaten over 200m in 2025.
The quiet Kenyan is emerging as a marathon star and he was a convincing winner in London back in April thanks to his run of 2:02:57 before then finishing first in Berlin with 2:02:16.
A run of 9.77 in the Tokyo final not only brought the 24-year-old victory but made him the first Jamaican since Usain Bolt in 2015 to hold the world 100m title.
With Grant Holloway off-form outdoors, his American team-mate seized the chance to shine in the 110m hurdles, winning the world and Diamond League titles. His run of 12.87 in May remains the world lead.
The Kenyan came out on top against fierce competition in the men’s 800m at the World Championships with a championship record of 1:41.86. He produced four of the six fastest performances in 2025 and also landed the Diamond League title.
A completely dominant year for the American, who went undefeated in the women’s discus this year, was crowned with her first ever world title in Tokyo.
The Dutchwoman was never beaten over the 400m hurdles this year, claiming her second successive world title and also coming out on top in the Diamond League final. She also produced the top three fastest times of 2025.
Her vicious closing kick took the Kenyan to a 5000m and 10,000m double at the World Championships. She also became the first woman to break 14 minutes for 5000m, setting the world record with a run of 13:58.06 in July.
The Olympic champion added the world long jump title to her collection and was unbeaten in the event this year. She was responsible for the three biggest leaps of 2025, including her world-leading 7.13m.
The American won the global honour she had craved with her first world heptathlon title, but also moved to joint second on the world all-time list with her brilliant score of 7032 points at the Hypo Meeting in Götzis.
An extraordinary, success-laden year saw the American come home from Tokyo with 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay gold medals. She was an unbeatable force over the 100m, her world championships record of 10.61 also representing the world lead.
The three-time Olympic champion won her fourth world 1500m title, as well as 5000m silver, in Tokyo. She also broke her own 1500m world record with a time of 3:48.68.
Switching her focus to the 400m, the Olympic 400m hurdles champion excelled in the event and won the world title with the second-fastest time in history, a championships record of 47.78.
The Olympic high jump silver medallist had a golden 2025, winning the world title both indoors and out. The leap of 2.04m that won her the Diamond League title also broke the Oceania record.
The Olympic champion successfully defended her world hammer title and produced a throw of 80.51m that broke the North American record and moved her to second on the world all-time list.
“The world’s fastest accountant” got even faster in 2025, clocking 9.87 at Lee Valley in August to go joint second with Linford Christie on the British all-time list and joint fifth-fastest on the European all-time list.
It was during the indoor season where the Welshman truly stood out, capturing not just the European 60m title, but then following that up with world 60m gold, too – both titles coming thanks to runs of 6.49.
The British champion impressed on the world stage, finishing sixth in the men’s 800m final in Tokyo with a PB of 1:42.29 in a race that saw all eight finalists run under 1:43.00 for the first time ever.
The 26-year-old shone on home soil this summer, flying to a 400m PB of 44.14 in winning the London Diamond League meeting and beating Matt Hudson-Smith in the process, before successfully defending his British title.
After finishing second in 2022, then having to drop out in 2023 and 2024, the former British Army captain finally secured victory at the prestigious Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc race at the end of August – the first British man to win the event since Jez Bragg in 2010.
The Scot began his year with a British 1000m record indoors, followed by 1500m silver at the World Indoor Championships. Outdoors, he also won his third successive UK 1500m title.
The British 100m and 200m champion was the fastest male sprinter in Europe over 200m this year, finishing fifth in the World Championships final and breaking the UK Championships record in Birmingham.
Won his 11th consecutive UK Championships title during the summer and then became the first British male shot putter to make the World Championships final since 2009 in Tokyo, where he produced Britain’s best ever finish with eighth and a best throw of 21.00m.
In a year of ups and downs, the 26-year-old experienced success at the European Indoor Championships, where he won 3000m silver, while he broke the British 5000m record with 12:46.59 in Oslo and also went second on the British 1500m all-time list with 3:28.36 in Paris.
Having been beset by a series of injury blows since winning the world 1500m title in 2022, the 31-year-old made it back to a global final in Tokyo and came within fraction of winning gold again, only denied late on by Portuguese Isaac Nader.
Injury hampered her ambitions at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships but the Scot won her second successive WMRA Mountain Running World Cup.
At the start of her first season as a professional athlete, the 24-year-old became the first British woman ever to win 400m gold at the World Indoor Championships. Outdoors, she won her second successive UK title and came fifth in the world final in Tokyo.
After a year out through injury, the 800m Olympic champion returned to win both the Silesia and Lausanne Diamond Leagues in emphatic fashion. She added to her medal collection with world bronze in Tokyo, before finishing the year by winning the Athlos event in New York.
This was a breakthrough year for the Cambridge graduate. Part of the team that won 4x100m gold at the World Relays, she excelled on her own and won the 100m national title. At the World Championships, her late charge took her to 200m silver.
Won 1500m bronze at the World Indoor Championships before making her outdoor focus the 800m. She beat training partner Keely Hodgkinson in the battle for world silver in Tokyo, having also won the Stockholm and London Diamond League meetings.
There was to be no third world heptathlon title but the Olympic silver medallist was thrilled to take bronze in Tokyo, sharing third place in dramatic fashion with USA’s Taliyah Brooks after both finished level on 6581.
After an ankle problem that kept her out for months, the European bronze silver medallist became British 10,000m champion again and finished 10th in a fiercely competitive world final over the distance at the World Championships.
The 21-year-old took European under-23 gold in the 400m hurdles and her run of 54.08 broke the championships record. She also won a second gold medal as part of the victorious 4x400m team and reached her first world championships in Tokyo
After just missing out on Olympic selection, the British 5000m champion retained her title and reached her first World Championships, finishing eighth in the Tokyo final. Also lowered her PB to 14:39.38, putting her fourth on the UK all-time list.
The 46-year-old broke the women's world record in winning the IAU World 24-hour Championships in October. Her distance of 278.622km surpassed the previous mark of 270.363km set by Japan’s Miho Nakata two years ago.
The 17-year-old became the senior Australian 200m champion, winning in a wind-assisted time of 19.84. He lowered his Oceania record to 20.02 in Ostrava and reached the semi-finals of the World Championships. He also won the Australian U20 100m title.
At 16, he became the youngest American ever to compete at the World Championships, having qualified for Tokyo by finishing second in the 800m at the US Trials with a run of 1:42.27 which broke the U18 world best by 1.1 seconds.
The 18-year-old Ethiopian broke the World U20 3000m indoor record in 7:29.99, then won the 10,000m at the Prefontaine Classic, which doubled as the trials for the World Championships. He contested the 5000m in Tokyo, finishing fifth.
Across this year, the 19-year-old Australian broke the world U20 indoor record for the 1500m and the mile, as well as the national U20 record for 1500m and indoor 3000m. He became senior Australian 1500m champion, too, and came second in the Oslo Dream Mile.
The 19-year-old Norwegian talent won both the 1500m and 3000m titles at the European U20 Championships, then removed five seconds from his metric mile PB with a run of 3:30.28.
The 19-year-old Pole smashed the world U20 decathlon record of 8435 points with a score of 8514 to win gold at the European Athletics U20 Championships, becoming the first junior athlete to surpass the 8500 mark.
The Italian only turns 16 this month but became European U20 100m champion earlier this summer when she clocked 11.22 in Tampere before helping her national team to 4x100m gold.
The 19-year-old Ethiopian broke the world U20 indoor record for 3000m in France back in February then finished fifth at the World Indoor Championships.
The Croatian World U20 champion equalled her national record of 6293 points, including a championship best high jump of 1.92m, in winning heptathlon gold at the European U20 Championships.
The Romanian 17-year-old pipped Meta Tumba to win the European U20 400m hurdles title in 55.55, breaking the championship record of 55.89 set in 2005.
The 17-year-old’s throw of 65.89m at the Chinese Championships in August surpassed her own world U20 javelin record of 64.41m.
Also at the Chinese Championships, the 18-year-old broke the world U20 hammer record with a throw of 77.24m that eclipsed the previous mark of 73.43m. At the World Championships in Tokyo, she took bronze with 77.10m.
At the age of 16, his leap of 7.80m at the English Schools Championships this summer took the long jump title but also broke the British under-17 record and a championship best that had stood for 20 years. Finished fifth at the European U20 Championships.
In an eventful European U20 800m final, the 17-year-old came out on top thanks to his run of 1:48.09. He also won the English Schools 800m title.
Took advantage of a late invite to win the UK Indoor high jump title with a personal best clearance of 2.20m. The 17-year-old then produced a leap of 2.19m to win European U20 silver. Also UK U20 and English Schools champion.
Won the U20 title at the British Mountain Running Championships, then finished sixth overall to lead the British side to team U20 silver at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships.
Finished second to Rafferty Mirfin at the European U20 Championships, having qualified for the final with a time of 1:47.93, the fastest ever 800m heat in championships history.
The 18-year-old sprinter clocked 10.47 to win European U20 100m silver and was UK U20 champion in both the 100m and 200m, as well as English U20 60m champion.
The national U20 champion returned from the European U20 Championships with two silver medals, finishing runner-up in the 100m and 4x100m in Tampere.
The reigning European U18 champion took the U20 1500m title, producing a brilliant finish in Tampere to move clear and hit the line first in 4:14.59. Also lowered her PB to 4:09.13 this summer.
Despite a season disrupted by injury issues, the combined eventer produced a PB of 6.44m to take European U20 long jump silver.
Completed a European Under-20 3000m and 5000m double, the former with a championship record of 8:46.39. Broke the European U20 3000m record with 8:40.05 in February and the 40-year-old European U20 5000m record with 14:39.56 in July.
A PB of 51.68 took the 19-year-old to the European U20 400m title, adding to the European U18 gold medal she had won three years previously.
A personal best of 23.37 took the 19-year-old to European U20 silver at the European U20 Championships.
The 2021 Paralympic champion defied injury and illness problems to win world silver in the T64 high jump with a season’s best of 2.00m, just three centimetres short of the winning height.
Claimed his seventh consecutive F63 shot put title at the World Para Athletics Championships, having recovered from hip surgery.
The Brazilian three-time Paralympic champion won a fifth consecutive title in the T47 100m event at the world championships.
The Swiss won the T54 5000m world title but it’s on the roads where he has been truly unstoppable, winning the Boston Marathon for an eighth time, taking his London tally to five, making it 10 wins in Berlin and six in Chicago.
The Briton threw a season’s best of 68.51 to win his third straight F13 javelin world title, setting his furthest mark with his final throw.
The German not only won his eighth world T64 long jump title in New Delhi but his leap of 8.43m broke his own championships record that had stood for a decade by three centimetres.
The 24-year-old won silver medals behind British team-mate Hannah Cockroft in the T34 100m, 400m and 800m at the world championships.
Continued her incredible record of winning a medal at every world championships since 2011 – six golds and one bronze – with a second world bronze medal in the F46 javelin.
Another standout year for Britain’s prolific medallist. Secured T34 100m, 400m and 800m titles to take her tally of gold World Para Athletics Championships gold medals to 19.
The Swiss won no fewer than five world gold medals in New Delhi – the T53 100m, 400m and 800m, as well as the T54 1500m and 5000m. She has also been prolific on the roads, winning the London and Tokyo marathons.
Claimed her fourth world F20 shot put title with a best throw of 16.75m in New Delhi, adding exactly a metre to her own world record.
The Briton mark her World Para Championships debut by winning T44 100m gold and claiming silver in the T44 200m.
Won his first major title with M60 European Masters 800m gold in Madeira in a world record of 2:07.65 following second place in the 1500m. He set indoor world records at 800m and 1500m – the latter in winning the British title in 4:20.32.
The psychologist and Britain's greatest ever masters sprinter won the European M70 100m, 200m (in a European record of 25.97), 400m and 4x100m in Madeira. Also set a European 100m record of 12.75 in Nuneaton.
The 91-year-old had a sensational European Masters, winning the 400m, 800m and 1500m in British record times and ran an excellent 5000m of 32:11.17 in very hot conditions.
Won M55 world indoor masters gold medals at 800m (with a British record) and 1500m and was second at 3000m. At the European Masters he set British records of 2:03.56 and 4:17.04 when coming second in the 800m and 1500m. Also set a British mile record of 4:37 in London.
The 48-year-old ran a British M45 half-marathon record of 65:27 in Manchester, won his category in the London Marathon with 2:22:06 and finished in the top six at the Midlands senior cross-country champs. Also topped the UK M45 rankings at 3000m and 5km.
Won M65 European Masters titles at 100m, 200m, 400m, 4x100m and 4x400m. Proved unbeatable all year and set world records at 100m (12.15) and 200m (24.47), as well as anchoring Britain to a sprint relay world record.
Last year's winner set world W60 records at 1500m (indoors and out), the mile, 4x800m relay and indoor 3000m and ran the world's fastest gun and chip times at 5km. Also set a European record at 10,000m and UK records at 3000m and 5000m. Won six golds at the World Masters indoors and three at the European Masters.
The Blackheath and Bromley sprinter set British W70 records at 100m and 200m and gained a sprint double at the European Masters. Also anchored the British team to a 4x100m gold and ran in the mixed 4x400m silver medal-winning side.
Set a UK W55 marathon best of 2:45:45 at Copenhagen as well as bests at 10 miles (59:49) and half-marathon (77:50) – all of those representing lifetime PBs.
The former international combined events athlete, who already held the world W50 high jump record, added the W55 mark when she won the British title with a 1.64m leap in Derby. She also set a W55 world pentathlon record in London.
Set W75 world records at 800m, 1500m, mile, 3000m, 5000m and 10,000m. There were also indoor records for 800m, 1500m and 3000m and world bests on the road at 5km and 10km. Won four World Masters indoor golds and eight European Masters titles.
Won W40 world indoor titles at 800m 1500m, 3000m and 10km and a team gold. In Madeira she won the W40 800m, 1500m, 5000m, 10,000m, and the overall women's 10km and half-marathon and team golds in the latter two events.
This category, named after the late former editor of AW, recognises the exceptional moments of brilliance from the past year
Lithuania’s Mykolas Alekna improved his own discus world record by more than a metre in Oklahoma back in April. At the meeting where he had recorded 74.35m last year, he opened with 74.89m before improving to 75.56m in the fourth round.
In London, the Olympic and world silver medallist Tigist Assefa broke the women’s-only marathon world record as she pulled away in the closing miles to clock 2:15:50, well inside the mark of 2:16:16 set by Peres Jepchirchir.
The Prefontaine Classic in July provided the stage for a piece of distance running history as the Olympic and world champion broke Gudaf Tsegay’s 5000m world record of 14:00.21. In running 13:58.06 the Kenyan became the first woman to break the 14-minute barrier for the distance.
The world has become used to Mondo Duplantis scaling new heights on a regular basis and he broke his own pole vault world record four times in 2025. There was emotional significance to the American-born Swede doing so at the Stockholm Diamond League but clearing 6.30m with his final attempt at the World Championships in Tokyo took him to another level.
Anna Hall won her first global title this year but her best performance of 2025 came in winning the Hypo Meeting in Götzis with a score of 7032 that moved her to equal second on the heptathlon world all-time list. She set PBs in the high jump, shot put, javelin and 800m.
The 24-year-old won three gold medals at the Tokyo World Championships but arguably the standout performance was her championships record of 10.61 for the 100m, which represents the fourth-fastest time in history.
Just a few days after running the fastest mile ever, albeit unofficially as part of the Breaking Four project in Paris, Faith Kipyegon broke her own world 1500m record with 3:48.68 in Eugene, taking 0.36 off the mark she had set in 2024. A ferocious closing kick helped her to win by nearly three seconds from Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji.
There were question marks from some quarters about Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s decision to concentrate more on the 400m rather than her customary 400m hurdles in Tokyo. She answered them emphatically, however, by breaking the world championships record that had stood for 42 years and producing the second-fastest 400m of all time, with 47.78.
