Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Noah Lyles and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden lead nominations for World Athletics Track Athlete of the Year

Top professional athletes such as Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Noah Lyles, and Femke Bol have been chosen as nominees for the World Athletics Track Athlete of the Year Awards. The voting for the same is open till Sunday, October 19.

McLaughlin-Levrone, slotted in the female category of the awards, has had a staggering season in 2025, where she tested her capabilities in the 400m flat outside of her specialized 400m hurdles. She won the national title and the world titles in the 400m event, thereby solidifying her place as one of the top candidates for the award.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's hurdles rival, Femke Bol, who won the 400m hurdles world title in Tokyo, is also among the top names in the list. Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, who created history at the World Athletics Championships 2025 with a double gold medal in the 100m and 200m events, is another firm favorite for the award.

In the men's category, Noah Lyles leads the nominees list as the firm favorite courtesy of his campaign at the World Championships, where he bagged three medals, including two gold. Besides, he also won the 200m Diamond League title earlier in the season.

Rai Benjamin, Cordell Tinch are some of the other major competitors who will challenge Lyles for the award.

Here is the complete nominee list for the 2025 World Athletics Track Awards:

Women's event:

• Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, USA
• Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, USA
• Femke Bol, Netherlands
• Faith Kipyegon, Kenya
• Beatrice Chebet, Kenya

Men's event:

• Noah Lyles, USA
• Cordell Tinch, USA
• Rai Benjamin, USA
• Emmanuel Wanyonyi, Kenya
• Jimmy Gressier, France

Edited by Soumik Bhattacharya