Kenya’s running powerhouse Sabastian Sawe has secured his place among the final three contenders for the prestigious 2026 Men’s World Athlete of the Year award. He headlines an elite shortlist announced by World Athletics following a worldwide vote across athletes, media, fans, and the World Athletics Family.

Sawe’s nomination caps one of the most defining individual achievements in track and field history. In April, the Kenyan distance star shattered what was once considered humanly impossible on a standard course: clocking an official 1:59:30 at the London Marathon to become the first athlete to break the two-hour barrier in record-eligible conditions.

Joining Sawe in the men’s top three are Sweden’s pole vault maestro Mondo Duplantis and Brazilian 400m hurdles champion Alison dos Santos.

Duplantis authored another peerless campaign, raising his pole vault world record to 6.31 meters while capturing gold across the World Indoor Championships, European Championships, and the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship. Dos Santos delivered an immaculate season over the barriers, going undefeated across 11 outings, taking the Ultimate Championship title, and lowering the 400m hurdles world record to 45.80 seconds.

Rounding out the top ten in the men’s voting were Josh Kerr (4th), Ja’Kobe Tharp (5th), Kenneth Bednarek (6th), Collen Kebinatshipi (7th), Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage (8th), Andy Díaz Hernández (9th), and Kristjan Čeh (10th).

The final three nominees for the Women’s World Athlete of the Year will be officially unveiled later today, Wednesday, November 11. All category winners will receive their honors live on stage at the annual World Athletics Awards gala in Monaco on November 29.