Peres Jepchirchir and Amane Beriso &ndash; the last two winners of the world marathon title and the two most recent course record-holders of the Valencia Marathon Trinidad Alfonso &ndash; return to the World Athletics Platinum Label road race on Sunday (7) to headline a star-studded edition.
Jepchirchir and Beriso will clash with former London and New York Marathon winner Joyciline Jepkosgei in the women&rsquo;s race, while course record-holder Sisay Lemma faces Boston and Chicago winner John Kosgei in the men&rsquo;s race.
Three months after winning the world marathon title in Tokyo &ndash; racing in the same country where she won the Olympic title in 2021 &ndash; Jepchirchir will be aiming to replicate her Valencia win from 2020. On that occasion, the Kenyan set a course record of 2:17:16 which was a PB at the time, but she took exactly one minute off that mark when winning in London last year.
The 32-year-old&rsquo;s only outing this year was at the World Championships, where she clocked 2:24:43 to win gold, but she&rsquo;ll be eyeing a return to sub-2:20 territory on the superfast streets of Valencia.
Two years after Jepchirchir won in Valencia, Beriso smashed her course record with 2:14:58 &ndash; a performance which currently ranks her fifth on the world all-time list. Less than a year later, she went on to win the world title in Budapest.
The 34-year-old Ethiopian hasn&rsquo;t won a marathon since then, but she has still produced a string of solid performances, placing third in Tokyo last year with 2:16:58, finishing fifth at the Olympic Games in Paris, and fifth at this year&rsquo;s Boston Marathon.
Jepkosgei finished second to Jepchirchir in Valencia in 2020, clocking 2:18:40. She has since reduced her PB to 2:16:24, and earlier this year she finished second in London in 2:18:44.
Charlotte Purdue, Jessica Stenson, Malindi Elmore, Emma Bates, Isobel Batt-Doyle, Genevieve Gregson and Alisa Vainio are among the international entrants seeking a fast time to round out the year.
Former US record-holder Keira D&rsquo;Amato is the only other woman in the field with a sub-2:20 PB. Three years have passed since she last broke 2:30, but the 41-year-old will be hopeful of going quicker than her 2:35:57 run in Boston earlier this year.
Steeplechase specialist Gesa Krause, meanwhile, will be making her debut at the marathon distance.
The men&rsquo;s race centres around the clash between Sisay Lemma, 2023 Valencia winner and course record-holder, and John Korir, who arrives on the back of consecutive major victories in Chicago and Boston.
Lemma rewrote the event&rsquo;s record book in 2023 with his 2:01:48 triumph, a performance that puts him fourth on the world all-time list. The Ethiopian hasn&rsquo;t raced since last year&rsquo;s Valencia Marathon, when he placed 10th in a high-quality race (2:04:59). Just eight months prior to that, he had won in Boston.
Korir, by contrast, enters as an upward-trending marathon runner. His 2024 win in Chicago &ndash; a 2:02:43 breakthrough &ndash; followed by a 2:04:45 triumph in Boston earlier this year has transformed him from perennial contender to serial winner. If anyone can force Lemma into uncomfortable territory, it&rsquo;s Korir.
A deep supporting cast &ndash; featuring sub-2:05 runners Tesfaye Deriba, Hillary Kipkoech, and Stephen Kissa &ndash; sits ready to exploit any weakness. World silver medallist Amanal Petros is joined on the start line by compatriot and German record-holder Samuel Fitwi.
Other contenders include Kenya&rsquo;s multiple NCAA champion Edward Cheserek, former Japanese record-holder Suguru Osako, Italy&rsquo;s Yemane Crippa and debutants Gemechu Dida and Patrick Mosin.
<h3>Leading entries</h3>
Women Amane Beriso (ETH) 2:14:58 Peres Jepchirchir (KEN) 2:16:16 Joyciline Jepkosgei (KEN) 2:16:24 Keira D&rsquo;Amato (USA) 2:19:12 Fikrte Wereta (ETH) 2:21:32 Charlotte Purdue (GBR) 2:22:17 Glenrose Xaba (RSA) 2:22:22 Jessica Stenson (AUS) 2:22:56 Isobel Batt-Doyle (AUS) 2:22:59 Alisa Vainio (FIN) 2:23:06 Genevieve Gregson (AUS) 2:23:08 Emma Bates (USA) 2:23:18 Malindi Elmore (CAN) 2:23:30 Ester Navarrete (ESP) 2:24:40 Chloe Herbiet (BEL) 2:24:56 Meritxell Soler (ESP) 2:24:57 Gesa Krause (GER) debut
Men Sisay Lemma (ETH) 2:01:48 John Korir (KEN) 2:02:43 Tesfaye Deriba (ETH) 2:04:13 Hillary Kipkoech (KEN) 2:04:45 Stephen Kissa (UGA 2:04:48 Samuel Fitwi (GER) 2:04:56 Amanal Petros (GER) 2:04:58 Enock Onchari (KEN) 2:05:20 Edward Cheserek (KEN) 2:05:24 Suguru Osako (JPN) 2:05:29 Tariku Novales (ESP) 2:05:48 Nico Navarro (FRA) 2:05:53 Justus Kangogo (KEN) 2:05:57 Yemane Crippa (ITA) 2:06:06 Felix Bour (FRA) 2:06:46 Felicien Muhitira (RWA) 2:06:54 Shokhrukh Davlatov (UZB) 2:07:02 Hendrik Pfeiffer (GER) 2:07:14 Philip Sesemann (GBR) 2:07:18 Abderrazak Charik (ALG) 2:07:20 Gemechu Dida (ETH) debut Patrick Mosin (KEN) debut

Peres Jepchirchir and Amane Beriso – the last two winners of the world marathon title – return to the Valencia Marathon Trinidad Alfonso

Jepchirchir and Korir take on course record-holders in Valencia

Uganda&rsquo;s&nbsp;Loice Chekwemoi will defend her title and Kenya&rsquo;s Ishmael Kipkurui will look to regain the crown he claimed in 2023 when The Great Chepsaita Cross Country Run &ndash; a World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold event &ndash; takes place in Chepsaita, on the outskirts of Eldoret, on Saturday (6).
Competition director Kennedy Tanui confirmed that athletes from more than 20 countries have confirmed their participation. As well as Uganda and Kenya, the countries represented include Ethiopia, USA, China, Japan and Djibouti.
World U20 3000m steeplechase silver medallist Chekwemoi returns seeking a repeat win in the senior women's 10km. Last year's race featured a fascinating duel between the 18-year-old African 3000m steeplechase champion and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Mekides Shimeles, after the latter made an early surge only to be hunted down by Chekwemoi during the last lap.
This time, Rebecca Mwangi will be among the athletes hoping to bring the title back to Kenya. The 24-year-old claimed African 10,000m silver last year and became the national 5000m champion in June.
Rispa Cherop, who finished sixth in the classic race at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in September, will be another star from Uganda to watch out for.&nbsp;
Phemelo&nbsp;Matshaba, the 2023 African U20 3000m steeplechase silver medallist and South African champion, will be among those joining them to race the Chepsaita course.
The men&rsquo;s race will also be held over 10km and Kipkurui, who won during the first edition of The Great Chepsaita Cross Country Run, will be among those hunting for victory. The 20-year-old finished fourth in the 10,000m at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September.
The race is also set to feature a number of athletes currently in the Kenyan national camp preparing for the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee next month.
After securing a second-place finish over 6.9km at the&nbsp;Cross Internacional de San Sebastian Cross Country Tour Gold event at the start of November, Uganda&rsquo;s Martin Kiprotich will be another star to look out for.&nbsp;
Many track stars see the cross-country season&nbsp;as a build-up towards a successful track season, and some of the other notable names expected to be in action in Chepsaita include George Manangoi.
Lopang Oontse of Botswana, a two-time national champion in the 3000m steeplechase, and South Africa&rsquo;s Collins Kgadima will also be among those in action.
The land has been expanded since the first edition of the race in 2023. "Hills, valleys, a river and a shower point are all on the course,&rdquo;&nbsp;said Tanui. &ldquo;A good cross-country needs a vast space, and Chepsaita has offered that.&rdquo;
Not only has the land been expanded, but the prize-money structure has also grown.
According to event director Barnaba Korir, KES 750,000 ($5,800) is the prize on offer for the first-place finisher. The prizes go down to 10th place.
Justin Lagat for World Athletics

Loice Chekwemoi will defend her title and Ishmael Kipkurui will look to regain the crown he claimed in 2023 when The Great Chepsaita Cross Country Run takes place on Saturday

Past winners Chekwemoi and Kipkurui return to Chepsaita

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe reflected on a successful year for the organisation at the 239th World Athletics Council Meeting in Monaco and reinforced how 2026 offers an unprecedented opportunity to build lasting geopolitical and geoeconomic relationships for the world&rsquo;s most universal sport.&nbsp;
The Council also decided on updates to the eligibility rules and regulations and competition matters during the two-day meeting on 2-3 December.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Our recent World Athletics Awards celebrated the very best in our sport and provided the perfect opportunity to reflect on what has been another outstanding year,&rdquo; said Coe.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Attendance figures across all three World Athletics Series events were strong, reflecting our focus on full stadia through a targeted marketing strategy. For our two championships in China, the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing had a sell-out crowd of 12,000 and the World Relays in Guangzhou attracted 37,000 fans. In Tokyo we saw full evening sessions and impressive morning sessions with a total crowd of 619,288, making it the third-highest attendance for a World Championships after Beijing 2015 and London 2017.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Our media reach outside of broadcast in 2025 was 38 billion, our social media followers grew by 3 million, from 14 million to 17 million, and we signed up more than 1 million new fans to reach a total of 2.15 million addressable fans, literally at our fingertips.&nbsp;
&ldquo;On the field of play, a record 84* countries achieved a finalist or top eight placing at the World Championships in Tokyo. This shows how far we have come in 30 years &ndash; just 47* countries achieved the same feat in Tokyo in 1991. No other sport has this reach. I never tire of saying that and I never tire of finding the proof points to show it.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Next year features a calendar of six World Athletics Series events as well as the new World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest and Run X World Treadmill Championship, Area Championships, a Commonwealth Games, and Youth Olympic Games. Preparations will also continue for the World Athletics Championships in Beijing the following year.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Next year we have an unprecedented opportunity to build lasting geopolitical and geoeconomic relationships, with world championship events in Europe, Africa, USA and South America, and the ongoing work we are doing to raise our sport&rsquo;s profile in China. Don&rsquo;t underestimate this opportunity,&rdquo; added Coe to his Council colleagues.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We are doing more than just holding an athletics event in these countries. The relationships we form, the respect we show, will stand us in better stead in the coming years as geopolitical rivalries reshape global markets. And our Member Federations, the lifeblood of our organisation, sit at the epicentre of what will be a challenging few years ahead. We all need to understand this and seize the opportunity to build strong alliances and networks.&rdquo;
<h2>Eligibility regulations: female category&nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>
The World Athletics Council received an update on implementation plans for the regulations concerning eligibility conditions to compete in the female category for world ranking competitions.&nbsp;&nbsp;
The rule&nbsp;regarding&nbsp;eligibility to compete in the female category has not changed.&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/news/press-releases/sry-gene-test-athletes-female-category" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Following the introduction of once-in-a-lifetime testing for the SRY gene ahead of the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25</a>, the regulations confirm where test results will be requested on a staggered basis from 2026 to 2030.
SRY test results will be requested by World Athletics from athletes competing in the female category at the following events during 2026, unless they had a confirmed clear test result at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
&bull; World Athletics Series events and the World Athletics Ultimate Championship&nbsp; &bull; Diamond League meetings&nbsp; &bull; Marathon Major Platinum events&nbsp;
The categories of world ranking competitions at which SRY test results will be requested will be reviewed each year. The competitions will be announced by 1 November the previous year for implementation the following year.
Member Federations were also informed that onsite testing options for the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26 were being explored, paid for by World Athletics. Information on the plans for testing at the World U20 Championships will be developed by the end of March 2026, including detailed information on permission protocols for minors.
The Council <a href="https://worldathletics.org/about-iaaf/documents/book-of-rules" target="_blank" rel="noopener">approved the proposed amendments to the Eligibility Rule 3.5 and Regulations for the Implementation of Eligibility Rule 3.5 (Male and Female Categories)</a> with immediate effect.
The Council also heard how testing at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 was successfully completed. A total of 1015 female athletes, including reserve athletes, underwent the SRY test.
<h2>Competition decisions&nbsp;</h2>
<h3>Timetables published&nbsp;</h3>
Timetables for four 2026 World Athletics Series events were approved:&nbsp;&nbsp;
&bull; <a href="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/69306275104d67eb0cef8072.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships Brasilia 26 (12 April)</a>&nbsp; &bull; <a href="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/693063229a5a32a70fe8c360.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Athletics Relays Gaborone 26 (2-3 May)</a>&nbsp; &bull; <a href="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/693062f59a5a32a70fe8c35d.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26 (5-9 August)</a>&nbsp; &bull; <a href="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6930629a104d67eb0cef8075.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Athletics Road Running Championships Copenhagen 26 (19-20 September)</a>&nbsp;
In addition to approving the timetable for the WRRC Copenhagen 26, the Council endorsed the LOC&rsquo;s proposal to introduce a mixed team competition in the mile and 5km events.&nbsp;
The timetable for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games was approved, the Council taking note of the IOC&rsquo;s final structure for the event and acknowledging that World Athletics has limited influence over the participation system.&nbsp;&nbsp;
<h3>Inaugural world record standards set&nbsp;</h3>
Following the announcement that the&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/news/press-releases/world-athletics-council-action-against-gender-based-violence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">half marathon and marathon will become the official senior road distances for race walking events</a>,&nbsp;the Council approved the following inaugural world record standards for those events:&nbsp;&nbsp;
&bull; Men&rsquo;s half marathon race walk: 1:21:30&nbsp; &bull; Women&rsquo;s half marathon race walk: 1:30:30&nbsp; &bull; Men&rsquo;s marathon race walk: 2:56:30&nbsp; &bull; Women&rsquo;s marathon race walk: 3:17:00&nbsp;
These&nbsp;inaugural standards must be surpassed to set&nbsp;a world&nbsp;record. Performances will be recognised&nbsp;from 1 January 2026.&nbsp;
<h3>Event&nbsp;and rule&nbsp;updates&nbsp;</h3>
Other approved decisions included:&nbsp;
&bull; having two sections for the World Indoor Championships 400m final, each with four athletes, with combined results, to take place for the first time at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Kujawy Pomorze 26;&nbsp;&nbsp;
&bull; adopting World Athletics rules for World Athletics Series qualification regulations, allowing athletes who turn 16 in that calendar year to compete at World Athletics Series events for all events and disciplines;&nbsp;
&bull; introducing a single, clear substitution policy for World Athletics Series and Olympic competitions, covering both track and field events;
&bull; limiting relay substitutions to a maximum of two athletes between rounds and finals for the single gender 4x100m and 4x400m events;&nbsp;
&bull; authorising the use of electronic assistance for athlete line-up management in relay events, particularly the 4x400m;
&bull; amending Technical Rule 22.6 (hurdle displacement); and&nbsp;
&bull; amending the Race Walking Technical Rules 54.6 and 54.11.1, to clarify operational procedures and improve event flexibility.&nbsp;
Updates were also provided by the various commissions and the&nbsp;Athletics Integrity Unit, the details of which will be available on the World Athletics website&nbsp;in due course.&nbsp;
World Athletics&nbsp;
*Includes athletes who finished 9th-15th in finals in events with heats or qualifying rounds.&nbsp;

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe reflected on a successful year for the organisation at the 239th World Athletics Council Meeting in Monaco and reinforced how 2026 offers an unprecedented opportunity to build lasting geopolitical and geoeconomic relationships for the world’s most universal sport

World Athletics aims to build on successful year and forge lasting geopolitical relationships during unprecedented 2026

World record-breaker, world champion, and now the 2025 World Athlete of the Year.
Swedish pole vault sensation Mondo Duplantis reflects on his season and looks ahead to 2026.
<blockquote>
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/awards/news/duplantis-mclaughlin-levrone-world-athletics-awards-2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Duplantis and McLaughlin-Levrone named World Athletes of the Year</a>
</blockquote>
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<h2>On winning the World Athlete of the Year Award:</h2>
"Thank you so much. This is such a huge honour. Thank you to the jury and World Athletics for voting me in yet again. I hope to keep pushing it. I hope to keep irritating everyone who has to vote for me for years to come. I'm proud to represent everyone who supports me &ndash; my family and my future wife. It's really important for me to win this for the field eventers. It's very special, I'm going to really cherish this one.
"I genuinely try to be the best version of myself that I can possibly be. I have a lot of joy that I hope to spread when I'm on the track; I have an immense passion and joy for what I do. I'm so obsessed with pole vaulting and I love pushing myself. I hope that I can inspire the next generation to try athletics, and even pole vaulting. If I can inspire even just a few people to do it, then I feel I'm doing my job."
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/692ed54bff0262c83c25cbed.jpg" alt="Mondo Duplantis receives his World Athlete of the Year award in Monaco" />
<div>
Mondo Duplantis receives his World Athlete of the Year award in Monaco (&copy; World Athletics <img style="width: 16px; vertical-align: middle; display: inline;" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,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" alt="photographer icon" /> Christel Saneh)
</div>
<h2>On 2025:</h2>
&ldquo;This past year may be one of my favourite seasons because jumping a world record in Stockholm was really high up on my bucket list and, of course, I also wanted to break the 6.30m barrier at the World Championships. So, to be able to do both of those was just insane for me, because going into the year I would say they were two of the biggest goals that I had.&nbsp;
&ldquo;But honestly, it was a really amazing year. Coming off of 2024 and the Olympics in Paris, it made me feel very free, in a way. I feel like my performance in Paris was so big, it was like everything else was a cherry on top. In some ways, there was less and less pressure, because I already did all this cool stuff so there&rsquo;s nothing really left to lose, it&rsquo;s only stuff to gain.&rdquo;
<h2>On the importance of strong fan support:</h2>
&ldquo;It's super important, especially in Tokyo, because I was out there for a very long time. Manolo (silver medallist Emmanouil Karalis) pushed me very hard and I had to take a lot more jumps. I don't know exactly, but I'm assuming that's the most jumps over six metres that I have had to take before a world record attempt. That&rsquo;s of course, in large part, because of how well Manolo was jumping, how hard he was pushing me.&nbsp;
&ldquo;So, it becomes very important, and then when you have that last attempt, and your back is against the wall and you're just trying to find that last little piece of energy you have left for one more good jump, you really can get a lot of that from the energy of the crowd. Everybody staying there, really supporting me and giving me a lot of good energy, that goes a really long way.&rdquo;
<h2>On maintaining his hunger and setting goals:</h2>
&ldquo;I feel like the hunger and the motivation is 100% still there. The real advantage to it is that I get to compete freely and just enjoy the whole journey. The victory is in the journey. I&rsquo;m fortunate enough to really realise that now because I&rsquo;ve done so many things that I could only have dreamed of accomplishing. I have the dinner, it&rsquo;s just all dessert now &ndash; this is all the icing on the cake, the cherry on top. I&rsquo;m just trying to enjoy the journey with amazing people around me.
&ldquo;I set goals &ndash; I think that&rsquo;s a very important thing. You can&rsquo;t be aimless &ndash; you have to have something to strive for. Whether you get there or not, that&rsquo;s not the most important thing, but you have to have something to chase. No matter what, I&rsquo;m always chasing something.&rdquo;
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7w-FDLulu2k?si=OqyZ-mg0MaVIvsMV" width="100%" height="475" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
<h2>On the chance to add another title to his collection at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in 2026:</h2>
&ldquo;I'm super excited about it. As far as the list of achievements that I could do in athletics, I have pretty much checked them all off. But if we add a new event in the Ultimate Championship, that's something I haven&rsquo;t done yet &ndash; that&rsquo;s something I&rsquo;d need to check off the list, and come away with victory there.
&ldquo;I think the concept will be very exciting. Of course, I'm excited to go back to Budapest, too, because I jumped 6.29m there this past year, so I know that it's a fantastic place and a great place to jump. I know they're going to build it up even more. I think the crowd is going to be really good. For sure, that&rsquo;s going to be the highlight next year.&rdquo;
&nbsp;
</div>
</div>

Swedish pole vault sensation Mondo Duplantis reflects on his season and looks ahead to 2026.

World Athlete of the Year Mondo Duplantis – in his words

Swedish pole vault supremo Mondo Duplantis will return to the London Stadium for the first time since 2018 when he competes at the Novuna London Athletics Meet &ndash; the 11th meeting in the 2026 Wanda Diamond League series &ndash; on 18 July.
The 26-year-old won his third World Athletics Championships gold medal in Tokyo and his fifth successive Diamond League title in Zurich this year. Those performances were among the moments recognised at the World Athletics Awards on Sunday (30), when Duplantis was announced as the Men&rsquo;s World Athlete of the Year.
He has broken the world record 14 times since 2020, most recently clearing a gravity-defying 6.30m when retaining his world title in Tokyo.
Duplantis competed in the London Stadium for the first time as a 17-year-old, finishing ninth at the 2017 World Championships. He returned one year later, finishing third in the Anniversary Games behind the USA&rsquo;s Sam Kendricks and&nbsp;Renaud Lavillenie of France.&nbsp;His only other UK Diamond League appearance came in Gateshead in 2021, when he finished second to Kendricks.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been too long since I last competed in London,&rdquo; said Duplantis, who will target Lavillenie&rsquo;s meeting record of 6.03m which has stood since 2015.&nbsp;
&ldquo;My first ever World Championships was at the Olympic Stadium in 2017 and although I was still pretty inexperienced, I could appreciate the incredible atmosphere, so it means a lot to me to go back. There&rsquo;s just something about that place.
&ldquo;Every year I see athletes raise their game in the London Diamond League so I&rsquo;m excited to get out there and use that crowd noise to my advantage. I&rsquo;ve never won in London, so obviously that&rsquo;s the main goal.&rdquo;
Organisers for World Athletics

Mondo Duplantis will return to the London Stadium for the first time since 2018 when he competes at the Novuna London Athletics Meet

Duplantis to return to London Diamond League

World champion, the second-fastest women&rsquo;s 400m runner of all time, and now a two-time World Athlete of the Year winner.
USA&rsquo;s Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone reflects on her successful season and looks ahead to the future.
<blockquote>
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/awards/news/duplantis-mclaughlin-levrone-world-athletics-awards-2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Duplantis and McLaughlin-Levrone named World Athletes of the Year</a>
</blockquote>
<h2>On winning the Track Athlete of the Year Award at the World Athletics Awards 2025:</h2>
"Thank you so much for this award. I'm truly honoured and humbled to be receiving this, in a category full of so many amazing women who had outstanding years and performances. I'm honestly shocked to be receiving this, but I'm so grateful to World Athletics, I'm grateful to the fans who voted for me, for recognising this season and what we were able to accomplish.
"I want to say congratulations to all the other nominees and finalists and amazing performances that were put out there because this year was unreal to witness and I'm grateful I got to be a part of that, so thank you so much for the support.
"Thank you to my coach, to my husband, to my family, to all of my therapists, body workers, supporters and everybody who has been a part of this journey."
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/692d71dadf279d31da27355e.jpg" alt="Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone reacts to her world 400m title win in Tokyo" />
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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone reacts to her world 400m title win in Tokyo (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
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<h2>On winning the World Athlete of the Year Award:</h2>
"I&rsquo;m honestly blown away to win this. I don't even feel deserving to be honest, but I'm just grateful for this year and for the recognition it&rsquo;s received. It&rsquo;s been a tough season in a field that was so stacked with such amazing talent. I'm beyond grateful for how they've been able to push me to new heights.
"The culmination of the season in Tokyo was a really special moment. I&rsquo;m so thankful for everyone who supported, watched, voted and who was there throughout this whole process.
"Thank you so much, World Athletics, for this honour and recognition. I&rsquo;m sorry I couldn&rsquo;t be there (at the World Athletics Awards in Monaco), but I'm grateful to still be able to share my thoughts and gratitude with you all.
"Thank you again to my coach (Bobby Kersee) for believing in me, for pushing me and continuing to bring me to new heights. Thank you to my husband for his support, for his love, for being my number one fan, and for being a huge influence in my career and the mental resilience he brings. Thank you to Malachi (Davis, performance director) for being there every single day and helping me to be the best athlete I could possibly be.
"Thank you to so many others who are behind the scenes &ndash; including my family &ndash; for the love, support and unconditional care that they&rsquo;ve shown in this journey of track and field.
"Thank you to all the fans, thank you to World Athletics and thank you to my competitors for pushing me and being so amazing at what they do. I'm excited to see what the future holds for all of us.
"Track and field is, I believe, the best sport in the world. I want to continue to show the world that we are some of the best athletes around."
<h2>On her world 400m title win in Tokyo:</h2>
"I knew there were a lot of people doubting me with making the switch from 400m hurdles to the flat 400m, but ultimately, I had faith in my training. I knew I had it in me. It was just a matter of time. It definitely helped having Marileidy Paulino in the outer lane where I could see her, but I still had to get the work done. My coach told me to get out of the blocks as fast as possible, not to stay in it for long. I knew the girls were going to push me, but what mattered was to stay composed.
"I know I am one person running on the track but there has been an army behind me. There are hundreds of people helping me."&nbsp;
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QQ5_wpeKUhw?si=unF3qI0qOjIKo9OD" width="100%" height="475" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
<h2>On her next challenge:</h2>
"It was a year of stepping outside of the comfort zone and pushing the bounds of what was mentally and physically possible. I hope to continue to do things that push the boundaries in the future."
&nbsp;
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USA’s Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone reflects on her successful season and looks ahead to the future

World Athlete of the Year Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone – in her words

World champions Mondo Duplantis and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone have been announced as the World Athletes of the Year, receiving top honours in Monaco in recognition of their standout achievements in 2025.
Sweden&rsquo;s&nbsp;pole vault star&nbsp;Duplantis&nbsp;and&nbsp;USA&rsquo;s&nbsp;sprint sensation&nbsp;McLaughlin-Levrone&nbsp;were the final winners to be revealed&nbsp;at the&nbsp;World Athletics Awards 2025 on Sunday (30),&nbsp;on an evening that saw six athletes crowned in three categories &ndash; track, field and out of stadium &ndash; before the two&nbsp;overall&nbsp;winners were&nbsp;confirmed.
Before being named as the World Athletes of the Year, Duplantis was announced as the men&rsquo;s field athlete of the year and McLaughlin-Levrone as the women&rsquo;s track athlete of the year. Spain&rsquo;s Maria Perez and Kenya&rsquo;s Sabastian Sawe were confirmed as the out of stadium athletes of the year, while Kenya&rsquo;s Emmanuel Wanyonyi received the men&rsquo;s track athlete of the year honour and Australia&rsquo;s Nicola Olyslagers the women&rsquo;s field athlete of the year accolade.
This year&rsquo;s Rising Stars were also celebrated, those honours going to world medallists Edmund Serem of Kenya and Zhang Jiale of China.
<h3>World Athletes of the Year for 2025</h3>
Women&rsquo;s World Athlete of the Year:&nbsp;Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone&nbsp;(USA) Men&rsquo;s World Athlete of the Year:&nbsp;Mondo Duplantis (SWE)
Women&rsquo;s track:&nbsp;Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA) Women&rsquo;s field:&nbsp;Nicola Olyslagers (AUS) Women&rsquo;s out of stadium:&nbsp;Maria Perez (ESP) Men&rsquo;s track:&nbsp;Emmanuel Wanyonyi (KEN) Men&rsquo;s field:&nbsp;Mondo Duplantis (SWE) Men&rsquo;s out of stadium:&nbsp;Sabastian Sawe (KEN)
Women&rsquo;s Rising Star: Zhang Jiale&nbsp;(CHN) Men&rsquo;s Rising Star: Edmund Serem (KEN)
&ldquo;The World Athletics Awards is a celebration of the very best of our sport. Tonight, we honour our greatest men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s athletes and rising stars across track, field and out of stadium,&rdquo; said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe during the awards ceremony.
&ldquo;If there&rsquo;s a motto for this year&rsquo;s Awards, it is &lsquo;for the athletes, by the athletes&rsquo; and the recipients tonight will aptly receive their prizes from some of our most storied Awards winners down the years.
&ldquo;I want to thank all the athletes present for their inseparable contribution to a memorable 2025, with its crescendo World Athletics Championships in Tokyo &ndash; the most widely covered and commercially impactful edition of our sport&rsquo;s flagship event in its history.&rdquo;
Duplantis and McLaughlin-Levrone both won Rising Star awards in 2018 and have gone on to become two of the most successful athletes in the sport.
In 2025, Duplantis set four world pole vault records and was undefeated in 16 competitions, his wins including world titles both indoors and outdoors. The 26-year-old is the first male pole vaulter in modern history to go undefeated for two successive years.
He set world records of 6.27m in Clermont-Ferrand, 6.28m in Stockholm, 6.29m in Budapest and 6.30m at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25, and won a fifth consecutive Diamond League title.
"Thank you so much. This is such a huge honour. Thank you to the jury and World Athletics for voting me in yet again," said Duplantis. "I hope to keep pushing it. I hope to keep irritating everyone who has to vote for me for years to come. I'm proud to represent everyone who supports me &ndash; my family and my future wife. It's really important for me to win this for the field eventers. It's very special, I'm going to really cherish this one.
"I genuinely try to be the best version of myself that I can possibly be. I have a lot of joy that I hope to spread when I'm on the track; I have an immense passion and joy for what I do. I'm so obsessed with pole vaulting and I love pushing myself. I hope that I can inspire the next generation to try athletics, and even pole vaulting. If I can inspire even just a few people to do it, then I feel I'm doing my job."
McLaughlin-Levrone has also been undefeated for two years in both the 400m flat, which was her main event in 2025, and in the 400m hurdles, extending her win streak in that discipline to 24 races.
The 26-year-old won the world 400m title in Tokyo in a North American record of 47.78, breaking a 42-year-old championship record with the second-fastest 400m of all time. As a result, she became the first athlete to have ever won world titles in both the 400m flat and 400m hurdles, following her win in the latter in Oregon in 2022. She also formed part of USA&rsquo;s victorious 4x400m team in Tokyo.
"Wow, I&rsquo;m honestly blown away to win this. Thank you so much, World Athletics, for this honour and recognition," said McLaughlin-Levrone. "The culmination of the season in Tokyo was a really special moment. I&rsquo;m so thankful for everyone who supported, watched, voted and who was there throughout this whole process.
"Track and field is, I believe, the best sport in the world. I want to continue to show the world that we are some of the best athletes around. For me, 2025 was a year of stepping outside of the comfort zone and pushing the bounds of what was mentally and physically possible. I want to continue pushing boundaries in 2026."
Her fellow track athlete of the year, Wanyonyi, won world and Diamond League titles in the 800m and achieved four of the top six performances of the year, including a world lead of 1:41.44 in Monaco.
Olyslagers, who joined Duplantis in being named field athlete of the year, won world high jump titles indoors and outdoors and became the Diamond League champion and world leader with an Oceanian record of 2.04m.
Both out of stadium athletes of the year were unbeaten in 2025. The wins by Perez included world titles in both the 20km race walk and the 35km race walk at the World Championships in Tokyo, while Sawe won the London Marathon and the Berlin Marathon, the latter in a world lead of 2:02:16.
The six category awards were handed out by previous World Athletes of the Year. Letsile Tebogo awarded the track athlete of the year honours, Valerie Adams the field honours and Paula Radcliffe the out of stadium honours, before His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco announced McLaughlin-Levrone as the Women&rsquo;s World Athlete of the Year and Coe handed Duplantis his Men&rsquo;s World Athlete of the Year trophy.
<h2>Serem and Zhang named Rising Stars of 2025</h2>
Despite still being U20 athletes, both 17-year-old Edmund Serem and 19-year-old Zhang Jiale made an impact on the senior stage in 2025.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/692ca5a24e7bc73aae2a011a.jpg" alt="Rising Stars Edmund Serem and Zhang Jiale" />
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Rising Stars Edmund Serem and Zhang Jiale (&copy; World Athletics <img style="width: 16px; vertical-align: middle; display: inline;" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,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" alt="photographer icon" /> Chiara Montesano)
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Zhang improved the world U20 hammer record to 77.24m at the Chinese Championships in Quzhou and clinched bronze at the World Championships in Tokyo, throwing 77.10m to secure a spot on the podium alongside Canada&rsquo;s Camryn Rogers and her Chinese compatriot Zhao Jie.
Serem also became a world bronze medallist as he finished third in the 3000m steeplechase behind New Zealand&rsquo;s Geordie Beamish and Morocco&rsquo;s Soufiane El Bakkali in Tokyo. He was runner-up in the Diamond League final and achieved top four finishes in four other Diamond League meetings during the season.
Keeping to the theme of the evening of &lsquo;for the athletes, by the athletes&rsquo;, 2018 Rising Star winner Duplantis presented the awards to Serem and Zhang.
<h2>McAvaney&nbsp;wins President&rsquo;s Award</h2>
The winner of the President&rsquo;s Award was also announced in Monaco on Sunday, the honour going to Australian broadcaster Bruce McAvaney in recognition of his tireless contribution to sports media and commentary, and the philanthropy he brings to athletics.
&ldquo;The recipient of this year&rsquo;s President&rsquo;s Award is one of very few people who can say they achieved the dream they had at the age of five,&rdquo; said Coe. &ldquo;Bruce has been involved in international sport at the highest level, broadcasting to the widest possible audience over five decades.
&ldquo;His drive for knowledge, combined with the ability to recognise performance in a historical context, and a genuine respect and regard for individuals has led him to be acknowledged as one of Australia&rsquo;s greatest sports commentators.&rdquo;
After receiving his award in Monaco, McAvaney said: &ldquo;Athletics has been the central thread of my career at Seven and is a sport I hold incredibly close to my heart. To be honoured in this way, and by someone I have such enormous admiration for in Sebastian Coe, is truly one of the highlights of my career.
"I've been incredibly fortunate to work across many major events and sports, but nothing compares to athletics at the highest level. The opportunity to call those defining, once-in-a-lifetime moments are what fuel my passion and make my job as a broadcaster so special.&rdquo;
The President's Award, first awarded in 2016, recognises and honours exceptional service to athletics.
<h2>Other award winners</h2>
Woman of the Year <a href="https://worldathletics.org/awards/news/ruth-jepchumba-bundotich-woman-of-the-year-2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ruth Jepchumba Bundotich</a>
Coaching Achievement Award <a href="https://worldathletics.org/awards/news/michael-oconnor-coaching-achievement-award-2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michael O&rsquo;Connor</a>
Photograph of the Year <a href="https://worldathletics.org/awards/news/vegard-grott-2025-photograph-of-the-year" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vegard Grott</a>
Member Federation Award <a href="https://worldathletics.org/awards/news/china-wins-2025-member-federations-award" target="_blank" rel="noopener">China</a>
Fair Play Award <a href="https://worldathletics.org/awards/news/tim-van-de-velde-international-fair-play-award-2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tim Van de Velde</a>
World Athletics
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World champions Mondo Duplantis and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone have been announced as the World Athletes of the Year, receiving top honours in Monaco in recognition of their standout achievements in 2025

Duplantis and McLaughlin-Levrone named World Athletes of the Year

Ethiopia&rsquo;s Yenenesh Shimket and Burundi&rsquo;s Rodrigue Kwizera stamped their authority at the Cross Internacional de la Constitucion &ndash; the sixth Gold meeting in this season&rsquo;s World Athletics Cross Country Tour &ndash; in Alcobendas on Sunday (30).
On a cold but sunny day, 18-year-old Shimket beat Italy&rsquo;s world and Olympic 10,000m silver medallist Nadia Battocletti , while Kwizera overcame the challenge of Eritrea&rsquo;s Symon Amanuel to notch up his fourth victory in Alcobendas.
Battocletti and Britain&rsquo;s European 10,000m bronze medallist Megan Keith took an early lead in the women&rsquo;s 8.1km race while Shimket and Kenya&rsquo;s Sheila Jebet positioned themselves close behind.
Battocletti, the European cross-country champion, then began to increase the pace but Shimket and Jebet seemed to run comfortably at her shoulder with Keith towards the rear of the lead quartet. About 14 minutes into the race, Keith lost ground on the leaders while the Italian maintained her relentless pace, closely followed by Shimket and Jebet.
Shimket seized her opportunity with three kilometres to go on the toughest section of the course and pushed hard to break away from Jebet and Battocletti with ease. The Ethiopian covered the penultimate 2.2km lap in 7:15 to open a seven-second margin on Jebet, herself another three seconds clear of Battocletti.
On the final lap, Shimket proved her win in San Vittore Olona last weekend was no fluke as she extended her lead. Battocletti managed to catch and leave behind Jebet before embarking on the final kilometre.
Shimket, having covered the final lap in 7:10, crossed the finish line 11 seconds ahead of Battocletti. Further back, Jebet kept Keith at bay to claim third.
Italy&rsquo;s Yohanes Chiappinelli and Sweden&rsquo;s Oliver Lofqvist were the early leaders in the men&rsquo;s race, closely followed by Kwizera and Eritrean teenager Saymon Amanuel, two of the pre-race favourites.
At exactly the same hilly point of the course where Shimket had broken away from her rivals, 18-year-old Amanuel surged ahead of the field and quickly built a six-second margin on Kwizera and Uganda&rsquo;s Samuel Cherop. The penultimate lap took the Eritrean just 6:18; by then, Kwizera was four seconds in arrears with Cherop in third another two seconds behind.
In a thrilling finish to the 8.1km race, the Burundian put in a desperate chase to catch Amanuel and he finally did so with about 650m remaining. The 26-year-old went on to finish six seconds ahead of Amanuel while Uganda&rsquo;s Dismas Yeko overtook compatriot Cherop in the battle for third place.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m very satisfied after my fourth win in a row here,&rdquo; said Kwizera. &ldquo;Although the Eritrean guy proved to be very strong, I remained confident of catching him and winning. After a busy November, tomorrow I&rsquo;m flying back to Burundi to spend a month with my family, then I&rsquo;ll travel to Ethiopia for a one-month stint before returning to Spain for the European Cross Country Team championships in February.&rdquo;
Emeterio Valiente for World Athletics
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Women 1 Yenenesh Shimket (ETH) 25:32 2 Nadia Battocletti (ITA) 25:43 3 Sheila Jebet (KEN) 25:57 4 Megan Keith (GBR) 25:59 5 Micheline Niyomahoro (BDI) 27:25
Men 1 Rodrigue Kwizera (BDI) 22:55 2 Saymon Amanuel (ERI) 23:01 3 Dismas Yeko (UGA) 23:09 4 Samuel Cherop (UGA) 23:16 5 Thierry Ndikumwenayo (ESP) 23:31

Ethiopia’s Yenenesh Shimket and Burundi’s Rodrigue Kwizera stamped their authority at the Cross Internacional de la Constitucion

Shimket and Kwizera triumph in Alcobendas

Former world record-holder Brigid Kosgei produced the fastest time ever recorded in China at the Shanghai Marathon, clocking 2:16:36 at the World Athletics Platinum Label road race on Sunday (30).
The 31-year-old ran the third-fastest time of her career to win by more than two minutes from fellow Kenyan Irine Cheptai, who clocked 2:18:51. Kosgei becomes just the second woman in the history of the race to win in Shanghai.
The men&rsquo;s race was a lot closer with Milkesa Mengesha winning by two seconds in 2:06:25, leading an Ethiopian podium sweep from Dawit Wolde (2:06:27) and Deresa Geleta (2:06:36).
Kosgei, who ran sub-2:19 to finish second in Hamburg and Sydney earlier this year, led the women&rsquo;s race from the outset. She was joined by Cheptai and Ethiopian duo Tiruye Mesfin and Bekelech Gudeta during the early stages, passing 10km in 32:25.
By the half-way point, reached inside 69 minutes, Kosgei had just Cheptai for company. They ran together for several more kilometres, but by the time Kosgei reached 30km (1:37:08), Cheptai had started to drift behind.
Kosgei continued to pull away as the race progressed. By the time she reached the finish, she had a lead of more than two minutes over her compatriot, and she crossed the line in 2:16:36 &ndash; her fastest time in three years.
Cheptai finished in a season&rsquo;s best of 2:18:51 and Mesfin followed a couple of minutes later in 2:20:38.
The men&rsquo;s race played out in contrasting style with a group of 10 athletes running together through 10km (29:27) before reaching the half-way point just outside 63 minutes.
Deresa Geleta led through 30km in 1:30:14. The lead pack, now down to nine, included Milkesa Mengesha, Dawit Wolde, course record-holder Philimon Kiptoo Kipchumba and China&rsquo;s Feng Peiyou.
The pack was whittled down to seven men as they approached 35km, with Geleta pushing the pace. With about five kilometres to go, Geleta, Wolde and Mengesha had formed a breakaway trio.
Geleta started to fade in the closing stages, leaving Mengesha and Wolde to battle it out for victory. As they approached the final straight Mengesha kicked into the lead and charged across the line in 2:06:25, finishing two seconds ahead of his compatriot. Geleta followed in 2:06:36 to place third.
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Women 1 Brigid Kosgei (KEN) 2:16:36 2 Irine Cheptai (KEN) 2:18:51 3 Tiruye Mesfin (ETH) 2:20:38
Men 1 Milkesa Mengesha (ETH) 2:06:25 2 Dawit Wolde (ETH) 2:06:27 3 Deresa Geleta (ETH) 2:06:36

Former world record-holder Brigid Kosgei produced the fastest time ever recorded in China at the Shanghai Marathon, clocking 2:16:36

Kosgei sets Chinese all-comers’ record of 2:16:36 at Shanghai Marathon

Belgian steeplechaser Tim Van de Velde has been selected as the winner of the International Fair Play Award following his selfless act to help another athlete during competition at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25.
Following nominations from fans, members of the International Fair Play Committee (CIFP) and World Athletics formed a jury to decide on a shortlist of fair play moments in athletics from 2025, before Van de Velde was declared the winner.
Van de Velde&rsquo;s fair play moment occurred during the 3000m steeplechase heats at the World Championships in Tokyo.
Colombia&rsquo;s Carlos San Martin was injured during a fall earlier in the race and, as they approached the finish line, Van de Velde decided to turn back to help San Martin to cross the finish line &ndash; fully aware that it might lead to his disqualification &ndash; in a true demonstration of sportsmanship and humanity.
&ldquo;The more I look back on the moment, the more I can actually enjoy it,&rdquo; said Van de Velde. &ldquo;I never had to think twice during the race to make the decision to turn back and support him.
&ldquo;It was a day in which we both suffered as Carlos crashed into a barrier and I fell at the water jump, but somehow, we made memories for a lifetime. Through our moment we have been able to share those initial feelings of disappointment and that has been a big help in coping with it all. Intense is the right word for that day, but the intensity has made room for a very positive story in the long run. Never could I have imagined getting so much recognition for something that felt very natural to me.
&ldquo;For me, this award is something bigger than just sports or performance. It focuses on the human side of things and that is something I have always been trying to promote, especially when it comes to mental health. A couple of years ago, I might have focused on records, but this is worth much more than that. I consider it an honour to become a part of the history of this award, and I will continue to cherish the moment Carlos and I shared in Tokyo.&rdquo;
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said: &ldquo;I&rsquo;m thrilled that our sport continues to highlight the very best of fair play. This year&rsquo;s Fair Play Award winner has shown that true success comes not just from performance, but from integrity and respect. He exemplifies the strong belief that how we compete matters just as much as the result, and I congratulate him on this well-deserved honour.&rdquo;
International Fair Play Committee President Sunil Sabharwal said: &ldquo;The International Fair Play Committee is honoured to bestow this prize upon Tim Van de Velde. His unselfish act in the 3000m steeplechase at the Tokyo World Championships transcended competition, offering a powerful, instantaneous reminder that compassion outweighs consequence.
&ldquo;The global resonance of this moment &ndash; from significant media coverage to tremendous positive social engagement &ndash; stands as undeniable proof that the world yearns for such living embodiment of fair play. We thank World Athletics for its long-term partnership, enabling us to celebrate the true spirit of friendship and courage that illuminated the exceptional Tokyo 2025 championships.&rdquo;
The CIFP was established more than 60 years ago to promote the principles of fair play in sport: fair competition, respect, friendship, team spirit, equality and sport without doping. It honours those who respect the written and unwritten rules of sport, which include integrity, solidarity, tolerance, care, excellence and joy, and who set an example for others, on and off the field. The CIFP&rsquo;s first collaboration with World Athletics dates back to the 2003 World Athletics Championships in Paris. Twelve awards have been handed out since then.
World Athletics

Belgian steeplechaser Tim Van de Velde has been selected as the winner of the International Fair Play Award following his selfless act to help another athlete during competition at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25

Belgium’s Van de Velde wins International Fair Play Award

It was a year of world record-wrecking carnage. Every global men&rsquo;s mark from 1000m up to 30,000m was savaged in the track and field frenzy that was 1965.
The rampant Ron Clarke was the chief culprit, claiming 11 of the 23 &lsquo;victims&rsquo;, all the way from two miles to one hour. The towering Australian had the first word, clocking 13:34.8 in the Tasmanian state capital, Hobart, on 16 January. The final say, however, belonged to his great rival Kip Keino.
Today (30 November) marks the 60th anniversary of Keino&rsquo;s 5000m world record run in Auckland. Four years ago, the revered father of Kenyan distance running made a generous donation to World Athletics Heritage Collection and the <a href="https://worldathletics.org/heritage/mowa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Museum of World Athletics (MOWA)</a> of the silver trophy he collected for one of the sizzling performances with which he set European tracks alight in the northern hemisphere summer of 1965.
Running the Morley Mile at the White City Stadium in London on 30 August 1965, Keino became the first African to run a sub-four-minute mile, wowing the packed English crowd with a 3:54.2 clocking that made the middle distance novice the third-fastest man of all time: behind Frenchman Michel Jazy&rsquo;s two month old world record of 3:53.6 and New Zealander Peter Snell&rsquo;s former global mark of 3:54.1. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t know I could run anything like as fast as that at a shorter distance,&rdquo; he said.
He returned to London the following year, won the race again and was given the trophy in perpetuity.
Three days before his 1965 victory, Keino had made the first of his two marks on the world record books, smashing East German Siegfried Hermann&rsquo;s 3000m time by six seconds with 7:39.6 in the Swedish coastal town of Helsingborg. 
<h2>Takes down Clarke&rsquo;s 5000m mark</h2>
Keino beat Clarke in two out of three races on the European circuit, but by the time he travelled to New Zealand in November, the Australian had made two further improvements to the 5000m world record, running 13:33.6 in Auckland in February and then 13:25.8 in Compton, California, in June.
Running at the Western Springs Stadium in Auckland 56 years ago, Keino registered mile splits of 4:16.0, 4:17.8 to reach two miles in 8.33.8. Though he tired significantly, with a 4:24.5 third mile, he closed with a final lap of 63.5 to break Clarke&rsquo;s record with a time of 13:24.2. Kiwi William Baillie was second in 14:01.2, with Yugoslav Franc Cervan third 14.02.0. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/61a6334cbc3414677f2776a5.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 The clamour for a head-to-head was satisfied when Keino met Clarke over 5000m in Melbourne a month later. There was no world record this time but Keino, sporting the lucky orange baseball cap he bought as a souvenir from the Tokyo Olympics, was a decisive winner, prevailing by 40 metres.
Clarke reclaimed the world record decisively eight months later. The 13:16.6 he recorded in Stockholm in July 1966 stood for six years, until Lasse Viren chipped 0.2 from it as a homecoming celebration in Helsinki in September 1972, on the back of his first Olympic 5000m-10,000m double in Munich. 
<h2>Traffic and illness no bar to Olympic glory</h2>
As for Keino, he proceeded to become a double Olympic champion himself &ndash; four years and two disciplines apart.
The &lsquo;flying Kenyan policeman&rsquo; with the long, loping stride had already established himself as a formidable force and a hugely popular performer on the international circuit before his astonishing heroics at the Mexico Olympics in 1968.
Fifth in the 5000m at the 1964 Games in Tokyo, where he failed to reach the 1500m final, and winner of the mile and three miles at the 1966 Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica, Keino chose to take on the daunting challenge of the 1500m, 5000m and 10,000m in the punishing thin air of Mexico City.
The fact that he had to run the last mile to get to the stadium in time for the 1968 Olympic 1500m final, after his bus got stuck in traffic, was the least of the psychological (or, indeed, physical) obstacles he had to overcome before executing his most famous victory.
A week earlier, Keino had collapsed two laps from the end of the 10,000m final, suffering from acute stomach pains which proved to be the result of a severe gall bladder infection. He collapsed on the infield but, when the stretcher-bearers arrived, he insisted on picking himself up and finishing, even though he had been disqualified. His compatriot Neftali Temu went on to win, claiming Kenya&rsquo;s first Olympic gold medal.
Four days later, despite being unable to digest solid food, Keino took the silver medal in the 5000m behind Mohamed Gammoudi of Tunisia, with Temu in third.
As the long-time trailblazing standard-bearer for Kenyan track and field, Keino felt it his duty to bring home 1500m gold. He was still suffering stomach pains on the morning of the final three days later. The West German team doctor warned he would be risking his life if he competed and told him to stay in bed and rest.
When the doctor left, however, Keino jumped out of bed, got dressed and caught the bus to the stadium. &ldquo;I must run for my country,&rdquo; he insisted. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/61a634c6bc3414677f2776a8.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 Despite his physical frailty, and the race to get to the stadium, Keino proceeded to produce one of the great middle-distance runs of all time.
Blitzing clear of the pack after his Kenyan teammate Ben Jipcho&rsquo;s blistering 56-second opening lap, Keino finished 20 metres clear of Jim Ryun, the US favourite who held the world records for 800m, 1500m and the mile, and who had been unbeaten at 1500m and the mile for three years. Keino knew the only way to neutralise Ryun&rsquo;s deadly finish was to amass an unassailable lead. He won in 3.34.9, an Olympic record, with Ryun a distant runner-up in 3.37.8.
Asked how he summoned such a stunning performance, Keino replied: &ldquo;I was thinking to myself, &lsquo;This is the race of my life. If I die here, I die here&rsquo;.&rdquo;
Such fearlessness came naturally to the son of a Nandi herdsman who escaped death at the claws of a leopard at the age of 12. The young Keino came across the wild cat preying on a goat and had to flee and hide up a tree to escape.
At the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, Keino defied death threats to run in the 5000m final. &ldquo;A man only dies once,&rdquo; he told the Kenyan officials who attempted to dissuade him from lining up. He finished third in the race, behind Scots Ian Stewart and Ian McCafferty but won the 1500m.
He was also threatened by a man with a gun while warming up for the 1500m at the Martin Luther King Memorial Freedom Games at Villanova University, Philadelphia, in 1970. &ldquo;What are you doing here, monkey?&rdquo; the assailant asked. &ldquo;I told him I was a human being in my country,&rdquo; Keino recounted. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t win the race &ndash; I was second to Marty Liquori &ndash; but I did my best.&rdquo;
Keino finished second to Finland&rsquo;s Pekka Vasala in the 1500m final at the1972 Olympic Games in Munich but claimed his second Olympic gold as a novice 3000m steeplechaser. &ldquo;I jumped the hurdles like a horse,&rdquo; he said. 
<h2>Kip Keino Children&rsquo;s Home</h2>
Hezekiah Kipchoge Keino was born in Kipsamo in the Nandi Hills in western Kenya. His parents died when he was young, and he was brought up by an aunt.
He ran four miles barefoot to school each morning, four miles back at lunchtime, and repeated the stamina-building exercise in the afternoon. After school and at weekends, he trotted around the surrounding hills for hours, herding the family&rsquo;s goats at high altitude.
At 85, he lives on the 500-acre farm he bought after his retirement from track competition in 1974. At Kazi Mingi Farm, in the hills near Eldoret, he has built perhaps his greatest achievement.
Over the past 40 years, hundreds of orphans and abandoned children have been raised by Keino and his wife, Phyllis, at the Kip Keino Children&rsquo;s Home there. The farm complex also houses the Kip Keino School and the Kip Keino High Performance Training Centre.
Laura and Chamatia are typical of the adopted Keinos. They were found by police officers on the streets of Eldoret, unable to move because of pneumonia. When no one claimed them from the city hospital, Keino&rsquo;s old police colleagues called Kip and Phyllis.
Others have been orphans of Aids victims. &ldquo;They are all my children,&rdquo; Keino said. &ldquo;My own mother died when I was three. I don&rsquo;t want anyone to grow up with that problem.
&ldquo;I came into this world with nothing and I will leave with nothing. While I am here, I should be mindful of those people who need help.
&ldquo;We can&rsquo;t help everyone, but we do what is within our ability. The money that we make from farm produce and from the training centre helps to subsidise the children&rsquo;s home and the school.&rdquo;
The inestimable Kip Keino will turn 86 on 17 January.
Simon Turnbull for World Athletics Heritage
This feature was first published in 2021 and was updated to mark the 60th anniversary of the achievement in 2025.
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1965 was a year of world record-wrecking carnage

Remembering Keino's world 5000m record, 60 years on

Evan Jager, the North American record-holder in the men&rsquo;s steeplechase, has announced his retirement from competitive athletics.
During an international career that spanned 18 years, the 36-year-old twice reached a global championships podium in the men&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase, claiming Olympic silver in 2016 and world bronze in 2017. He also set numerous continental records in the discipline, topped by his 8:00.45 clocking in 2015, despite falling in the closing stages of the race.
Jager started out as a 1500m runner and contested that event at the 2008 World U20 Championships where he reached the final. Just one year later, at the age of 20, he represented USA in the 5000m at the World Championships in Berlin.
He moved to the steeplechase in 2012. He won the US Trials that year in what was just his third competition in that discipline. His next two outings were at the Monaco Diamond League meeting, where he broke the North American record with 8:06.81, and then at the London Olympic Games, where he placed sixth.
Jager finished fifth and sixth at the 2013 and 2015 World Championships respectively. Prior to the 2015 World Championships, he had been on course to win at the Diamond League meeting in Paris and finish well inside eight minutes, but he clipped the final barrier. He quickly got back up and sprinted to the line, but was denied the victory and the sub-eight-minute clocking, finishing in 8:00.45 &ndash; a further improvement on his own continental record.
He claimed silver at the 2016 Olympic Games and backed it up with bronze at the World Championships one year later. In 2018 he won his seventh consecutive US title in the 3000m steeplechase, but an ankle injury prevented him from competing at the Continental Cup at the end of that season, marking the beginning of a long period of various foot and calf issues that kept him out of competition for almost 18 months.
Fully recovered in 2022, Jager finished second at the US Championships, sixth at the World Championships and first at the NACAC Championships. He missed the majority of the 2023 season but returned in 2024 and finished fourth at the US Trials, narrowly missing the cut for the US Olympic team.
&ldquo;Track and field has been a part of my life for two thirds of my life and now it&rsquo;s time to say goodbye,&rdquo; he said in an Instagram post earlier this week. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m thankful that I achieved close to everything I thought was possible as a young kid when I started getting really serious about the sport. I&rsquo;m very proud of everything I was able to accomplish. Beyond the medals and PBs, I was able to challenge myself, push myself and learn so many things about myself that will stay with me for the rest of my life. Now it&rsquo;s time for me to contribute to the sport in other ways. As one door closes, another opens.&rdquo;

Evan Jager, the North American record-holder in the men’s steeplechase, has announced his retirement from competitive athletics.

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