World Athletics Moment of the Year: Sawe, Assefa and Kejelcha Among 18 Nominees
World Athletics has opened the fan vote for its Moment of the Year, a new award that will be presented for the first time at the Monaco gala on 29 November. There are 18 nominees, and four of them come from the roads: the 1:59:30 marathon by Sabastian Sawe, the 2:15:41 by Tigst Assefa, the 56:51 half marathon by Yomif Kejelcha and the 1:05:15 by Agnes Ngetich. Fans can vote in the official app until 26 October.
How the Moment of the Year works
The award recognises the most memorable occasion of the season, which can go beyond a single performance, according to the official World Athletics announcement of the nominees.
There are two stages. First, only fans vote, and that vote produces the shortlist of finalists, to be announced on 3 November. Then a World Athletics expert panel picks the winner from that shortlist. The name is announced live at the World Athletics Awards in Monaco on 29 November.
To vote for the Moment of the Year, download the World Athletics app for iOS or Android and open the Awards tab from the home screen. The Moment of the Year vote closes on 26 October.
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| Until 26 October | Fan vote in the app |
| 3 November | Finalists announced |
| 10 and 11 November | Athlete of the Year finalists |
| 29 November | World Athletics Awards gala in Monaco |
The 18 Moment of the Year nominees
More than half of the Moment of the Year candidates are world records. The 18 nominees, in the order World Athletics lists them, are:
- Tigst Assefa, women-only world marathon record of 2:15:41 in London.
- Botswana winning the men’s 4x400m on home soil at the World Athletics Relays.
- Alison dos Santos, world 400m hurdles record of 45.80 in Zurich.
- The pole vault duel between Mondo Duplantis (6.25m) and Emmanouil Karalis (6.20m) in Zurich.
- Simon Ehammer, world heptathlon record of 6670 points for world indoor gold in Torun.
- Keely Hodgkinson, world 800m short track record of 1:54.87 in Lievin.
- Jakob Ingebrigtsen, returning from injury to win the European 5000m title.
- Melissa Jefferson-Wooden’s sprint double at the Ultimate Championship.
- Yomif Kejelcha, 56:51 for the half marathon in Buenos Aires.
- Josh Kerr, world mile record of 3:42.66 in London.
- Agnes Ngetich, women-only 1:05:15 to win world half marathon gold in Copenhagen.
- Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, a last-round 91.09m to win the Ultimate javelin title.
- Masai Russell, world 100m hurdles record of 12.09 in Zurich.
- Sabastian Sawe, breaking two hours with 1:59:30 in London.
- Gianmarco Tamberi, a world-leading 2.37m to win the Ultimate high jump title.
- Ja’Kobe Tharp, world 110m hurdles record of 12.75 in the NCAA semifinals.
- Audrey Werro, 1:53.70 for 800m, the third-fastest time in history.
- Yan Ziyi, world U20 javelin record of 71.74m, the second-farthest throw in history.
The road running nominees
For road runners, the closest part of the Moment of the Year list is the four marathon and half marathon nominees.
Sabastian Sawe, 1:59:30 in London
The Kenyan won the London Marathon on 26 April 2026 in 1:59:30. World Athletics calls him the first man to break two hours in a record-eligible marathon. In the official records table the mark is listed as the world record without the pending asterisk, so it is ratified. It works out at about 2:50 per kilometre for 42.195 km. Our London Marathon guide covers the course and how to get a bib.
Tigst Assefa, 2:15:41 in a women-only race
On the same day in London, the Ethiopian ran 2:15:41, the women-only world record, set without male pacers. It is also ratified in the official table. The mixed-race record is still the 2:09:56 by Ruth Chepngetich in Chicago in 2024.
Yomif Kejelcha, 56:51 for the half marathon
Kejelcha ran 56:51 in Buenos Aires. In the official table, checked on 20 October, the mark is still pending ratification, and the ratified record is the 57:20 by Jacob Kiplimo in Lisbon. We explain it in our article on the half marathon world record.
Agnes Ngetich, 1:05:15 at the World Half Marathon Championships
The Kenyan won the world half marathon title in Copenhagen on 20 September in 1:05:15, in a women-only race, by 50 seconds. The official table lists the mark with the pending ratification asterisk; until it is ratified, the women-only record is the 1:05:16 by Peres Jepchirchir in Gdynia in 2020.
María Pérez among the Athlete of the Year nominees
There is no Spanish nominee for the Moment of the Year, but race walker María Pérez is among the ten women nominated for World Athlete of the Year, according to the official list of nominees. According to World Athletics, she set the inaugural world half marathon race walk record of 1:30:06 and won the European title by 58 seconds with that mark.
That vote closed on 17 October, and the three finalists in each category will be announced on 10 and 11 November. Sawe, Assefa and Ngetich are also Athlete of the Year nominees.
The pace behind these marks
The marks of the Moment of the Year nominees work out at these average paces:
| Mark | Distance | Average pace |
|---|---|---|
| Sawe, 1:59:30 | Marathon | 2:50 /km |
| Assefa, 2:15:41 | Marathon | 3:13 /km |
| Kejelcha, 56:51 | Half marathon | 2:42 /km |
| Ngetich, 1:05:15 | Half marathon | 3:06 /km |
A runner aiming for a sub-4 marathon runs at about 5:41 per kilometre, twice as long per kilometre as Sawe. To work out your own training paces from a recent race, use the training pace calculator, and the race time predictor estimates your time over other distances.
Frequently asked questions
How do I vote for the World Athletics Moment of the Year?
Through the official World Athletics app for iOS and Android, in the Awards tab on the home screen. The Moment of the Year vote is open until 26 October.
Who picks the winner?
Fans choose the finalists and a World Athletics expert panel picks the winner from them. It will be announced on 29 November in Monaco.
Is the Sawe record ratified?
Yes. In the official World Athletics records table, the 1:59:30 from London is listed as the marathon world record without the asterisk used for pending marks.
