Agnes Ngetich/COURTESYKenyan distance running stars Agnes Ngetich and Sabastian Sawe have been nominated for the 2026 World Athlete of the year awards, earning recognition among the world’s leading performers across track, road and cross country.
Ngetich and Sawe are the two Kenyan representatives in the senior Athlete of the Year categories announced by World Athletics.
Ngetich has been nominated in the women’s category covering track, road and cross country, placing her alongside a strong international field that includes Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa, Spain’s María Pérez, Switzerland’s Audrey Werro and Dominican Republic’s Marileidy Paulino.
The women’s shortlist also features American stars Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, Masai Russell and Chase Jackson, as well as Canada’s Camryn Rogers and China’s Yan Ziyi.
Ngetich has established herself as one of Kenya’s leading distance runners, making her nomination another recognition of the country’s growing influence in road running and global distance events.
Sawe, on his part, has been nominated in the men’s Athlete of the year category, which brings together leading performers from across the sport.
The Kenyan is up against a star-studded field that includes Sweden’s pole vault world record-holder Mondo Duplantis, American sprinter Kenneth Bednarek, Great Britain’s Josh Kerr, Brazil’s Alison dos Santos and Slovenia’s discus thrower Kristjan Čeh.
The men’s list also includes Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, Italy’s Andy Díaz Hernández, American Ja’Kobe Tharp, Botswana’s Collen Kebinatshipi and Brazil’s Alison dos Santos.
Sawe’s inclusion underlines his standing among the world’s elite distance runners after a season in which he continued to carry Kenya’s hopes in major road-running competitions.
Sawe currently holds the world record in the marathon.
He made his debut at the 2024 Valencia Marathon, winning in 2:02:05.
At the 2026 London Marathon, he became the first person to run a sub-two-hour marathon in a record-eligible race.
The nominations give Kenya a double presence in the prestigious awards, with Ngetich representing the women’s field and Sawe flying the country’s flag in the men’s category.
The World Athlete of the year awards are among the sport’s most prestigious individual honours, bringing together athletes who have produced outstanding performances during the season.
The final winners will be determined from the nominees following the voting process involving World Athletics’ global voting bodies and athletics fans.
For Kenya, the nominations provide another opportunity for the country’s distance-running tradition to receive global recognition, with Ngetich and Sawe seeking to join the list of Kenyan athletes honoured at the highest level of world athletics.
