Kenyan marathoner Sabastian Sawe has advanced to the final shortlist for the 2026 Men’s World Athlete of the Year, following his groundbreaking sub-two-hour marathon performance.

World Athletics unveiled the three contenders on Tuesday, setting the stage for the awards ceremony in Monaco on November 29. Sawe joins Sweden’s pole vault sensation Mondo Duplantis and Brazilian 400m hurdles world record holder Alison dos Santos in the race for the prestigious title.

He earned his nomination after a stellar season, most notably at the London Marathon where he clocked 1:59:30. This made him the first athlete to break the two-hour barrier in a record-eligible marathon, a feat that redefined the boundaries of distance running and solidified Kenya’s dominance in the sport.

The finalists were selected through a voting process combining input from fans, athletes, media, and the World Athletics Family, narrowing down from an initial list of ten nominees chosen by an expert panel.

The other nominees who missed the final cut were Josh Kerr, Ja’Kobe Tharp, Kenneth Bednarek, Collen Kebinatshipi, Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, Andy Díaz Hernández, and Kristjan Čeh.

Sawe now stands on the verge of joining an elite group of Kenyan runners to claim global athletics’ highest individual honour.