World 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi, Berlin Marathon winner Sabastian Sawe, and world 3,000m steeplechase bronze medallist Edmund Serem proudly flew Kenya’s flag high after securing top global honours at the World Athletics Awards on Sunday evening.
Kenya’s impressive sweep featured three major accolades: Male Track Athlete of the Year, Male Out of Stadium Athlete of the Year, and the Male Rising Star award.
Wanyonyi clinched the Male Track Athlete of the Year title ahead of American sprint star and 200m world champion Noah Lyles—an honour that capped off his dominant 2025 season.
At the Tokyo World Championships, the 20-year-old sensation stormed to his first global crown in 1:41.86, firmly establishing himself as the world’s leading two-lap runner.
He carried the same authority onto the Diamond League circuit, claiming victories in Oslo (1:42.78), Stockholm (1:41.95), Monaco (1:41.44), and London (1:42.00), before sealing the season finale in Zurich with 1:42.37.
His Monaco triumph (1:41.44) remains the world-leading time of 2025.
Marathon powerhouse Sawe was named Male Out of Stadium Athlete of the Year, triumphing over Tanzania’s world marathon champion Alphonce Simbu.
Sawe enjoyed a flawless season, winning both marathons he entered.
Emmanuel Wanyonyi crowned.
He made a strong debut at the London Marathon on April 27, clocking 2:02:27 to defeat Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo (2:03:37) and Kenya’s Alexander Munyao (2:04:20).
In September, he delivered another commanding performance at the Berlin Marathon, taking victory in 2:02:16—well ahead of Japan’s Akira Akasaki (2:06:15) and Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele (2:06:57).
In the Rising Star category, steeplechase prodigy Edmund Serem emerged top, outshining compatriot Phanuel Koech, the world U20 1,500m record holder, and Ethiopia’s Biniam Mehary, the U20 3,000m short-track record holder.
Serem has quickly risen to prominence as one of Kenya’s brightest young talents in the water-and-barrier discipline.
The 2025 season marked his debut on the Diamond League circuit, where he opened with an 8:08.50 for fourth place in Xiamen.
Sabastian Sawe crowned.
He continued to impress with strong runs in Shanghai (second – 8:08.68), Rabat (third – 8:07.47), and Monaco (third – 8:04.00).
At the Zurich Diamond League Final, he clocked 8:09.96 to finish second before crowning his breakthrough year with a bronze medal at the Tokyo World Championships, where he posted 8:34.56 to secure his first senior global podium.