Kenya has once again stamped its authority on the global athletics stage after Olympic and World 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi was crowned World Athletics Male Track Athlete of the Year during the World Athletics Awards held in Monaco on November 30.
The 21-year-old secured the prestigious honour after a two-month voting process involving both the World Athletics Council and the public. Wanyonyi beat an elite field, among them American sprinter Noah Lyles, following a season in which he dominated the men’s 800m.
Wanyonyi has won every major title in the two-lap event over the past two years. He claimed Olympic gold in Paris with a personal best of 1:41.19, before securing the world title in Tokyo with a championship record of 1:41.86. His unbeaten run extended across the Diamond League circuit, with victories in Oslo, Stockholm, Monaco and London, culminating in his third consecutive Diamond League trophy in Zurich.
Kenya’s success at the awards did not end there. Marathon star Sebastian Sawe, who won the London Marathon in 2:02:27 and later triumphed in Berlin in 2:02:16, was named Out-of-the-Stadium Athlete of the Year, edging out Tanzania’s Alphonce Simbu.
Rising talent Edmund Serem, just 17, was also recognised after being crowned World Athletics Male Rising Star of 2025. Serem made history in Tokyo by winning bronze in the 3000m steeplechase, becoming the youngest athlete ever to medal in the event.
The triple recognition marks one of Kenya’s strongest performances at the World Athletics Awards in recent years.
