<p>Swedish pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis has been named the AIPS Best Male Athlete for the second year running after amassing an unassailable lead in the traditional end-of-year poll, organised by AIPS (International Sports Press Association) and as voted by a record 836 journalists from 121 countries.</p>
<p>Following another exceptional season in which he broke the world record four times, Duplantis was the runaway winner in the Best Male Athlete of the Year category ahead of Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz and French footballer Ousmane Dembele.</p>
<p>The AIPS Best Female Athlete of the Year award went to Spanish footballer Aitana Bonmati. Five track and field athletes featured in the top 10 in the women&rsquo;s voting: Beatrice Chebet (2nd), Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (4th), Femke Bol (5th), Faith Kipyegon (8th) and Valarie Allman (10th).</p>
<p>Duplantis, who was recently named the World Athletics Athlete of the Year award for the third time, became the first male pole vaulter in modern history to go undefeated both indoors and outdoors for two successive years.</p>
<p>He set four world records this year: 6.27m in Clermont-Ferrand, 6.28m in Stockholm, 6.29m in Budapest and 6.30m to clinch his third consecutive world title in Tokyo. Duplantis has now broken the men's pole vault world record 14 times since February 2020.</p>
<p>Duplantis, who earlier this month won the BBC &lsquo;World Sport Star&rsquo; award for the second year in a row, also earned his third successive world indoor pole vault title in Nanjing and fifth successive Diamond League title in Zurich.</p>

Swedish pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis has been named the AIPS Best Male Athlete for the second year running

Duplantis wins AIPS Best Male Athlete of 2025

A look back at the key moments of 2025 in the race walks

2025 review: race walks

<p>As the year draws to a close, we look back at the key moments of 2025 in each area of the sport.</p>
<p>The series continues with a review of cross country. It will be followed over the coming days by reviews of all the other remaining event groups.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Men&rsquo;s cross country</h2>
<h3>World Athletics rankings</h3>
<table style="border: 1px solid #999; width: 50%;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee; padding-left: 5px;">1</td>
<td style="width: 65%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">Rodrigue Kwizera (BDI)</td>
<td style="width: 20%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">1240</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd; padding-left: 5px;">1</td>
<td style="width: 65%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd;">Mathew Kipchumba Kipsang (KEN)</td>
<td style="width: 20%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd;">1240</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee; padding-left: 5px;">1</td>
<td style="width: 65%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">Matthew Kipkoech Kipruto (KEN)</td>
<td style="width: 20%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">1240</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd; padding-left: 5px;">4</td>
<td style="width: 65%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd;">Thierry Ndikumwenayo (ESP)</td>
<td style="width: 20%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd;">1233</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee; padding-left: 5px;">5</td>
<td style="width: 65%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">Nassim Hassaous (ESP)</td>
<td style="width: 20%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">1220</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><a href="https://worldathletics.org/world-rankings/cross-country/men" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Full rankings</strong></span></a></p>
<h3><br />Season snapshot</h3>
<ul>
<li>The king of the World Athletics Cross Country Tour, Burundi&rsquo;s Rodrigue Kwizera, clinched his third title after winning the 2024-25 tour. The 26-year-old won five races in the series &ndash; in Amorebieta, Atapuerca, Soria, Alcobendas and Albufeira. Kenyan Matthew Kipkoech Kipruto finished second after winning at the Cinque Mulini and in Carhaix, while Spain&rsquo;s Thierry Ndikumwenayo finished third.</li>
<li>For the 2025-2026 series, 10 of the 15 Gold races have already been completed and Kenya&rsquo;s Mathew Kipchumba Kipsang sits at the top of the standings. He has won the Cardiff Cross Challenge, the Campo a Traves Internacional de Soria and the Cross Internacional de Atapuerca.</li>
<li>Second in the standings is the reigning champion, Kwizera. He claimed victories at the Cross Internacional de Italica and the Alcobendas-Comunidad de Madrid, and finished runner-up in Soria and Atapuerca.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Kipruto is placed third. The 20-year-old won the Chepsaita Cross Country Tour, finished runner-up at the Cinque Mulini and placed third at the Campo a Traves Internacional de Soria. Other Gold meeting winners include Burundi&rsquo;s Emile Hafashimana, Ethiopia&rsquo;s Milkesa Fikadu, Kenya&rsquo;s Brian Kiptoo and Saymon Amanuel, who was the first Eritrean since Zersenay Tadese in 2008 to win the Cinque Mulini.</li>
<li>Kwizera, Kipsang and Kipruto currently top the world rankings ahead of the Spanish duo of Thierry Ndikumwenayo and Nassim Hassaous.</li>
<li>Ndikumwenayo won at the European Cross Country Championships in Lagoa, an upgrade from the bronze medal he claimed 12 months ago in Antalya.<br /><br />
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/695295bfc035b6a5f3d53fb0.jpg" alt="Thierry Ndikumwenayo at the European Cross Country Championships" />
<div>
<p style="font-size: 0.9em; color: #b2b2b2; text-align: right; margin: -15px 0 0px;">Thierry Ndikumwenayo at the European Cross Country Championships (&copy; Getty Images)</p>
</div>
</div>
</li>
<li>Five legs remain of the Cross Country Tour Gold but before it resumes in January, the world will assemble in Tallahassee, Florida, for the World Athletics Cross Country Championships on 10 January. After that, the tour will head to Elgoibar in Spain, San Giorgio su Legnano in Italy, Hannut in Belgium, Albufeira in Portugal and Eldoret in Kenya.</li>
</ul>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Women&rsquo;s cross country</h2>
<h3>World Athletics rankings</h3>
<table style="border: 1px solid #999; width: 50%;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee; padding-left: 5px;">1</td>
<td style="width: 65%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">Nadia Battocletti (ITA)</td>
<td style="width: 20%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">1240</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd; padding-left: 5px;">1</td>
<td style="width: 65%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd;">Yenenesh Shimket (ETH)</td>
<td style="width: 20%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd;">1240</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee; padding-left: 5px;">3</td>
<td style="width: 65%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">Francine Niyomukunzi (BDI)</td>
<td style="width: 20%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">1233</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd; padding-left: 5px;">4</td>
<td style="width: 65%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd;">Likina Amebaw (ETH)</td>
<td style="width: 20%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd;">1226</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee; padding-left: 5px;">5</td>
<td style="width: 65%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">Daisy Jepkemei (KAZ)</td>
<td style="width: 20%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">1226</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd; padding-left: 5px;">5</td>
<td style="width: 65%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd;">Sheila Jebet (KEN)</td>
<td style="width: 20%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd;">1226</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><a href="https://worldathletics.org/world-rankings/cross-country/women" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Full rankings</strong></span></a></p>
<h3><br />Season snapshot</h3>
<ul>
<li>Versatile Italian runner Nadia Battocletti topped the standings at the end of the 2024-25 World Athletics Cross Country Tour to claim the overall win. After finishing third at the Cinque Mulini, winning in Alcobendas and bagging gold at the European Cross Country Championships in Antalya in 2024, Battocletti started 2025 by emerging victorious on home soil at the Campaccio. Burundi&rsquo;s Francine Niyomukunzi, winner in Amorebieta and Albufeira, finished second in the series, while Kenya&rsquo;s Sheila Jebet placed third.</li>
<li>Battocletti, the world 10,000m silver and 5000m bronze medallist, is currently at the helm of the 2025-26 season standings following her triumphant performance at the Cross Internacional de Atapuerca on her fourth attempt. A week later, the Italian was runner-up at the Alcobendas-Comunidad de Madrid and on 14 December she retained her European title in Lagoa.<br /><br />
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/69234e6d3b27259dd8015555.jpg" alt="Nadia Battocletti celebrates victory at the Cross Internacional de Atapuerca" />
<div>
<p style="font-size: 0.9em; color: #b2b2b2; text-align: right; margin: -15px 0 0px;">Nadia Battocletti celebrates victory at the Cross Internacional de Atapuerca (&copy; Ricardo Ord&oacute;&ntilde;ez)</p>
</div>
</div>
</li>
<li>The Italian also sits joint top of the world rankings alongside Ethiopia&rsquo;s Yenenesh Shimket, the 18-year-old who won at the Cinque Mulini and in Alcobendas.</li>
<li>Behind Battocletti in the tour standings is Ethiopia&rsquo;s Likina Amebaw, who won the season opener in Amorebieta-Etxano, placed third at the Cross Internacional de Italica and won the Campo a Traves Internacional de Soria. Jebet is currently third after she placed second in Cardiff, Soria and Atapuerca, and third in Alcobendas.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Other winners on the current tour include Bahrain&rsquo;s Olympic 3000m steeplechase champion Winfred Yavi, Kenyans Cynthia Chepkirui and Dorcus Chepkwemoi, and Shimket and her fellow Ethiopian Tirhas Gebrehiwet.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Michelle Katami for World Athletics</strong></p>

A look back at the key moments of 2025 in cross country

2025 review: cross country

<p>As the year draws to a close, we look back at the key moments of 2025 in each area of the sport.</p>
<p>The series continues with a review of the combined events and will be followed over the coming days by reviews of the remaining event groups.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Women&rsquo;s heptathlon</h2>
<h3>Season top list</h3>
<table style="border: 1px solid #999999; width: 80%; height: 110px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee; padding-left: 5px;">7032</td>
<td style="width: 35%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">Anna Hall (USA)</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">Gotzis</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">1 June</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd; padding-left: 5px;">6714</td>
<td style="width: 35%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd;">Kate O&rsquo;Connor (IRL)</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd;">Tokyo</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd;">20 September</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee; padding-left: 5px;">6581</td>
<td style="width: 35%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">Katarina Johnson-Thompson (GBR)</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">Tokyo</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">20 September</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd; padding-left: 5px;">6581</td>
<td style="width: 35%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd;">Taliyah Brooks (USA)</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd;">Tokyo</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd;">20 September</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee; padding-left: 5px;">6576</td>
<td style="width: 35%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">Sofie Dokter (NED)</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">Gotzis</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">1 June</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><a href="https://worldathletics.org/records/toplists/combined-events/heptathlon/all/women/senior/2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Full season top list</strong></span></a><br /><br /></p>
<h3>World Athletics rankings</h3>
<table style="border: 1px solid #999; width: 50%;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee; padding-left: 5px;">1</td>
<td style="width: 65%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">Anna Hall (USA)</td>
<td style="width: 20%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">1459</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd; padding-left: 5px;">2</td>
<td style="width: 65%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd;">Kate O&rsquo;Connor (IRL)</td>
<td style="width: 20%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd;">1377</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee; padding-left: 5px;">3</td>
<td style="width: 65%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">Katarina Johnson-Thompson (GBR)</td>
<td style="width: 20%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">1372</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd; padding-left: 5px;">4</td>
<td style="width: 65%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd;">Nafissatou Thiam (BEL)</td>
<td style="width: 20%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd;">1355</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee; padding-left: 5px;">5</td>
<td style="width: 65%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">Taliyah Brooks (USA)</td>
<td style="width: 20%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">1334</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><a href="https://worldathletics.org/world-rankings/heptathlon/women" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Full rankings</strong></span></a><br /><br /></p>
<h3>World Athletics Championships medallists</h3>
<table style="border: 1px solid #34495e; width: 80%; background-color: #eee; fff; border-style: solid;" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="3">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #e9c968; text-align: center;">🥇</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #e9c968;">Anna Hall (USA)</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #e9c968;">6888</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #ced4d9; text-align: center;">🥈</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #ced4d9;">Kate O&rsquo;Connor (IRL)</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #ced4d9;">6714</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #bd895e; text-align: center;">🥉</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #bd895e;">Katarina Johnson-Thompson (GBR)</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #bd895e;">6581</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #bd895e; text-align: center;">🥉</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #bd895e;">Taliyah Brooks (USA)</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #bd895e;">6581</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #34495e; text-align: left;" colspan="3">&nbsp;&nbsp;<span style="text-decoration: underline; color: #ffffff;"><strong><a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://worldathletics.org/results/world-athletics-championships/2025/world-athletics-championships-tokyo-2025-7190593/women/heptathlon/800-metres/points" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full results</a></strong></span></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h3><br />Major winners</h3>
<p><strong>World Championships:</strong> Anna Hall (USA) 6888<br /><strong>World Indoor Championships (pentathlon):</strong> Saga Vanninen (FIN) 4821<br /><strong>World Combined Events Tour:</strong> Anna Hall (USA) 3781<br /><strong>South American Championships:</strong> Martha Araujo (COL) 6396<br /><strong>Asian Championships:</strong> Nandini Agasara (IND) 5941<br /><br /></p>
<h3>Season snapshot</h3>
<ul>
<li>Anna Hall became the first woman from the United States to win world heptathlon gold since 1993. Having earned world bronze in 2022 and silver in 2023, the 24-year-old completed her medal set with a total of 6888. Kate O'Connor set an Irish record of 6714 to take silver, while Britain's defending champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson shared bronze with Hall&rsquo;s teammate Taliyah Brooks, both scoring 6581.</li>
<li>Hall, who had joined the 7000-point club with her winning total of 7032 in Gotzis - which remained the best score of 2025 - took over first place after the second event and steadily extended her lead. She ran 13.05 in the 100m hurdles, cleared 1.89m in the high jump, threw a personal best of 15.80m in the shot, ran 23.50 in the 200m, jumped 6.12m in the long jump, threw a personal best of 48.13m in the javelin and finished emphatically by winning the 800m in 2:06.08. Belgium&rsquo;s three-time Olympic champion Nafissatou Thiam pulled out after five events.</li>
<li>O&rsquo;Connor&rsquo;s achievement in earning silver concluded a breakthrough year. The 24-year-old earned pentathlon bronze at the European Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn, and later that month she took pentathlon silver at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing. In July she won gold at the World University Summer Games with a national record of 6487. In Tokyo she set personal bests in five of the seven events, recording 13.44 in the 100m hurdles, 24.07 in the 200m, 1.86m in the high jump, 53.06m in the javelin and 2:09.56 in the 800m.</li>
<li>Saga Vanninen of Finland won pentathlon gold at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing with 4821, having won European indoor gold just two weeks prior with a world-leading 4922.</li>
<li>The heptathlon title in the World Athletics Combined Events Tour went to Hall, who produced the three best heptathlon performances of 2025. Hall&rsquo;s US compatriot Brooks finished second in the tour for the second year in a row, while Colombia&rsquo;s Martha Araujo was third. She finished third in Gotzis with a South American record of 6475, then won the Decastar meeting in Talence with 6451.</li>
</ul>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Men&rsquo;s decathlon</h2>
<h3>Season top list</h3>
<table style="border: 1px solid #999999; width: 80%; height: 110px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee; padding-left: 5px;">8909</td>
<td style="width: 35%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">Sander Skotheim (NOR)</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">Gotzis</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">1 June</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd; padding-left: 5px;">8869</td>
<td style="width: 35%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd;">Kyle Garland (USA)</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd;">Eugene</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd;">1 August</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee; padding-left: 5px;">8804</td>
<td style="width: 35%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">Leo Neugebauer (GER)</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">Tokyo</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">21 September</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd; padding-left: 5px;">8784</td>
<td style="width: 35%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd;">Ayden Owens-Delerme (PUR)</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd;">Tokyo</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd;">21 September</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee; padding-left: 5px;">8575</td>
<td style="width: 35%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">Niklas Kaul (GER)</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">Gotzis</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">1 June</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><a href="https://worldathletics.org/records/toplists/combined-events/decathlon/outdoor/men/senior/2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Full season top list</strong></span></a><br /><br /></p>
<h3>World Athletics rankings</h3>
<table style="border: 1px solid #999; width: 50%;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee; padding-left: 5px;">1</td>
<td style="width: 65%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">Leo Neugebauer (GER)</td>
<td style="width: 20%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">1433</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd; padding-left: 5px;">2</td>
<td style="width: 65%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd;">Ayden Owens-Delerme (PUR)</td>
<td style="width: 20%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd;">1404</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee; padding-left: 5px;">3</td>
<td style="width: 65%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">Kyle Garland (USA)</td>
<td style="width: 20%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">1390</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd; padding-left: 5px;">4</td>
<td style="width: 65%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd;">Sander Skotheim (NOR)</td>
<td style="width: 20%; height: 22px; background-color: #ddd;">1375</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee; padding-left: 5px;">5</td>
<td style="width: 65%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">Johannes Erm (EST)</td>
<td style="width: 20%; height: 22px; background-color: #eee;">1366</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><a href="https://worldathletics.org/world-rankings/decathlon/men" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Full rankings</strong></span></a><br /><br /></p>
<h3>World Athletics Championships medallists</h3>
<table style="border: 1px solid #34495e; width: 80%; background-color: #eee; fff; border-style: solid;" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="3">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #e9c968; text-align: center;">🥇</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #e9c968;">Leo Neugebauer (GER)</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #e9c968;">8804</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #ced4d9; text-align: center;">🥈</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #ced4d9;">Ayden Owens-Delerme (PUR)</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #ced4d9;">8784</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #bd895e; text-align: center;">🥉</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #bd895e;">Kyle Garland (USA)</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #bd895e;">8703</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #34495e; text-align: left;" colspan="3">&nbsp;&nbsp;<span style="text-decoration: underline; color: #ffffff;"><strong><a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://worldathletics.org/results/world-athletics-championships/2025/world-athletics-championships-tokyo-2025-7190593/men/decathlon/1500-metres/points" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full results</a></strong></span></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h3><br />Major winners</h3>
<p><strong>World Championships:</strong> Leo Neugebauer (GER) 8804<br /><strong>World Indoor Championships (heptathlon):</strong> Sander Skotheim (NOR) 6475<br /><strong>World Combined Events Tour:</strong> Sander Skotheim (NOR) 3754<br /><strong>South American Championships:</strong> Jose Fernando Ferreira (BRA) 7847<br /><strong>Asian Championships:</strong> Fei Xiang (CHN) 7634<br /><strong>NACAC Championships:</strong> Austin West (USA) 8038<br /><br /></p>
<h3>Season snapshot</h3>
<ul>
<li>Germany&rsquo;s Leo Neugebauer emerged victorious at the World Championships after moving past long-time leader Kyle Garland of the United States with a 64.34m javelin throw in the penultimate event - a personal best by 5.35m. The 25-year-old Olympic silver medallist went on to earn his first global title with a season&rsquo;s best of 8804 as Ayden Owens-Delerme set a Puerto Rican record of 8784 for silver and Garland secured bronze with 8703.</li>
<li>Canada&rsquo;s 2021 Olympic champion Damian Warner withdrew just before the World Championships decathlon got underway. His teammate Pierce LePage, the defending champion, pulled out after four events. Switzerland&rsquo;s 2024 world indoor champion Simon Ehammer also went out after four events having failed to clear his opening height in the high jump. And Norway&rsquo;s Sander Skotheim, whose winning total of 8909 at the Gotzis meeting three months earlier remained the best score of 2025, was disqualified for pushing one of the barriers in the 110m hurdles at the start of day two when he was second overall. It was the second successive time Skotheim had failed to complete a global decathlon after his failure to clear an opening pole vault height of 4.50m at the Paris 2024 Olympics.</li>
<li>Neugebauer&rsquo;s mighty javelin effort gave him a 15-point advantage over Garland going into the concluding 1500m. His 4:31.89 clocking in that discipline left him 20 points clear of his opponents. Owens-Delerme&rsquo;s time of 4:17.91 was enough to move him up to silver as Garland finished in 4:45.45.</li>
<li>Skotheim&rsquo;s position as pre-event favourite in Tokyo had been bolstered by his superb early season form. In February the 23-year-old from Oslo set a European heptathlon record of 6484 in Tallinn. He won gold at the European Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn, raising his European heptathlon record to 6558 and moving to third on world all-time list. Later that month he added gold at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, where he totalled 6475. Skotheim&rsquo;s Gotzis score surpassed the national record set by Markus Rooth at the 2024 Olympics.</li>
<li>Skotheim&rsquo;s outstanding season saw him confirmed in October as decathlon winner in the World Athletics Combined Events Tour. Garland, who produced three of the top six performances in the world during 2025, was second on 3719. He finished second to Skotheim in Gotzis with 8626, then won the US title with a lifetime best of 8869. Third place went to Owens-Delerme.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Mike Rowbottom for World Athletics</strong></p>

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<p>The world&rsquo;s best cross-country runners will take on a course inspired by Florida&rsquo;s natural landscape when they compete at the <strong>World Athletics Cross Country Championships Tallahassee 26</strong> (WXC Tallahassee 26) on 10 January.</p>
<p>The terrain at Apalachee Regional Park will feature sand, water, mud and a signature &lsquo;rollercoaster&rsquo; element that will challenge even the sport&rsquo;s elite.</p>
<p>From rolling hills and wide grass straights to signature red clay paths weaving through scenic pines, the video preview offers an inside view of the terrain, key features and unforgettable atmosphere awaiting competitors from around the globe.</p>
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/694c121b4146412b607cbf88.jpg" alt="WXC Tallahassee 26 course map" />
<p>The course includes two loops. Four challenge areas are planned and runners will face each challenge five times during the 10km race.</p>
<p><a href="https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/507707db21164c219ac89be2dcd0dcdc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">View interactive map and learn more about each challenge area.</a></p>
<p>Fan experience zones are located along the course challenge areas. They include a variety of Florida themes intended to match the runner challenges.</p>
<p><strong>Course preview video:</strong></p>
<p><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZMynePGboo0?si=oeVNLR1PcE4YySh5" width="100%" height="475" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>Fans can also lace up their running shoes and take on the same course as the elites. <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-cross-country-championships/tallahassee26/florida-fun-run" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Choose from one of four community fun runs</a> and enjoy the unique opportunity to test your skills on the same challenging terrain.&nbsp;</p>
</div>

46th World Athletics Cross Country Championships

The world’s best cross-country runners will take on a course inspired by Florida’s natural landscape when they compete at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships Tallahassee 26

WXC Tallahassee 26 course preview

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2025 review: road running

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2025 review: middle and long distance

<p>Kenyan teenagers Dorcus Chepkwemoi and Brian Kiptoo were victorious at the Cross Internacional de Venta de Banos, the 10th Gold level meeting of this season&rsquo;s <strong>World Athletics Cross Country Tour</strong>, held on Sunday (21).</p>
<p>The races took place on a cold day (3C) over a tough, muddy circuit following non-stop rain on the eve of the competition. In doing so, the unheralded Chepkwemoi and Kiptoo claimed the most remarkable victories of their young careers so far.</p>
<p>The women&rsquo;s event kicked off at a slow pace, with pre-event favourite Chepkwemoi and Spanish duo Carla Gallardo and Isabel Barreiro leading a large front pack. The decisive move came as early as 1.5km into the race when the long-legged Kenyan increased the pace and broke away with ease. The 19-year-old covered the opening 2.3km lap in 8:04, opening an eight-second lead over a chasing group led by Maria Forero and Angela Viciosa, who were two seconds clear of Claudia Corral.</p>
<p>Midway through the second lap, newly crowned European U23 cross-country champion Forero dropped Viciosa to move into a clear second place. Chepkwemoi clocked 7:59 for the lap to extend her lead to 16 seconds over Forero, who in turn was six seconds ahead of Viciosa, now reeled in by Corral.</p>
<p>Over the penultimate loop, Corral left Viciosa behind, while Chepkwemoi posted a slightly slower 8:07 lap but still widened her advantage to 36 seconds over Forero and 43 over Corral. There were no major changes on the final lap as the young Kenyan romped home well clear of Forero, with finishing times of 36:09 and 37:03 respectively, while Corral secured the final podium spot a further 15 seconds back.</p>
<p>&ldquo;The race was very tough,&rdquo; said Chepkwemoi. &ldquo;Every step was complicated because of the mud, and I felt cold throughout. I knew Forero had won the European U23 title last weekend and wanted to push hard as early as possible to secure the win.&rdquo;</p>
<p>The men&rsquo;s contest, also held over 9.3km, saw an early lead by Burundi&rsquo;s Eric Nzambimana, followed closely by Morocco&rsquo;s Abderraahmane Aferdi, Brian Kiptoo and Spaniards Aaron Las Heras and Nassim Hassaous. Hassaous, racing less than two weeks after his marathon debut in Valencia, moved to the front about 5km into the race. Shortly afterwards, Kiptoo slipped and fell on a muddy section but quickly regained his footing to rejoin the leaders.</p>
<p>The opening 2.3km lap was covered in 7:15 before Hassaous&rsquo;s relentless pace reduced the lead group to three, with only Kiptoo and Aferdi able to follow, while pre-race favourite Las Heras began to lose ground. The trio ran a quicker 7:06 second lap, driven by Aferdi at the front, opening a five-second gap on Las Heras in fourth.</p>
<p>Aferdi&rsquo;s pace proved too much for Hassaous, who lost contact with the Moroccan and Kiptoo early in the penultimate lap, timed at 7:03. At the bell, Aferdi and Kiptoo had built a 15-second lead over Hassaous, who himself was eight seconds ahead of Las Heras. The final lap produced a thrilling duel, with both athletes taking turns at the front before Aferdi unleashed a strong surge with 900m remaining, briefly opening a small gap. Kiptoo refused to give in and chased him down.</p>
<p>The pair entered the final 300m on the cinder track separated by just five metres. Aferdi appeared to hold off the late challenge, but Kiptoo surged past in the final 10 metres to claim victory in 31:43 after a fast 6:57 final lap, with Aferdi, a 1:01:15 half marathon specialist, finishing one second behind.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Honestly, I didn&rsquo;t know any of my rivals today so I decided to wait and see in the early laps,&rdquo; said 17-year-old Kiptoo, who has a 5:31.96 PB for the 2000m steeplechase. &ldquo;When Aferdi made his move it was very difficult to follow, but I managed to overtake him at the very end. I&rsquo;ll race again next weekend at another cross country event in Amurrio.&rdquo;</p>
<p><strong>Emeterio Valiente for World Athletics</strong></p>
<h3>Leading results</h3>
<p><strong>Women</strong><br />1 Dorcus Chepkwemoi (KEN) 36:09<br />2 Maria Forero (ESP) 37:03<br />3 Claudia Corral (ESP) 37:18<br />4 Angela Viciosa (ESP) 37:35<br />5 Naima Ait Alibou (ESP) 37:36</p>
<p><strong>Men</strong><br />1 Brian Kiptoo (KEN) 31:43<br />2 Abderraahmane Aferdi (MOR) 31:44<br />3 Nassim Hassaous (ESP) 32:10<br />4 Aaron Las Heras (ESP) 32:36<br />5 Yahya Aouina (ESP) 32:44</p>

Kenyan teenagers Dorcus Chepkwemoi and Brian Kiptoo were victorious at the Cross Internacional de Venta de Banos

Chepkwemoi and Kiptoo secure Kenyan double in Venta de Banos

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