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Amusan, Ajayi Miss World Athletics Awards Nominations as Africa Gets Four

Posted : 07 October 2026

Nigeria's Tobi Amusan and Kanyinsola Ajayi have missed out on the 2026 World Athlete of the Year nominations despite producing notable performances during the season. World Athletics announced 20 nominees on October 6, with Africa represented by four athletes.

Kenya's Agnes Ngetich and Sabastian Sawe, Botswana's Collen Kebinatshipi and Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa were named among the 10 women's and 10 men's nominees. Nigeria therefore has no representative in either of the two main athlete-of-the-year categories.

Amusan, the world record holder in the women's 100m hurdles, was absent from the women's list. Ajayi, who has also recorded notable performances on the international stage, was not included among the nominees either.

Ngetich earned her nomination after a strong season in distance running. She won the world half marathon title in a women's-only world record of 1:05:15 and also claimed the world cross-country title. She additionally produced world-leading marks of 8:08.95 in the 3,000m and 28:58 over 10km.

Sawe made history at the London Marathon by becoming the first man to run a marathon under two hours in a record-eligible race. His winning time of 1:59:30 earned him the men's nomination and placed him among the leading distance runners recognised by World Athletics this season.

Kebinatshipi has also enjoyed a standout campaign for Botswana. He won the men's 400m at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in 43.39 seconds and improved the Diamond League record to 43.40 at the Diamond League Final.

Assefa completes Africa's representation in the women's category. The Ethiopian won both the Berlin and London Marathons, recording 2:11:04 in Berlin and a women's-only world record of 2:15:41 in London.

The 20 nominees were selected by an eight-member panel of statisticians. A four-way voting process involving fans, athletes, media and the wider World Athletics family will determine the final ranking and three finalists in each category.

Voting closes at midnight CEST on October 17. The six finalists will be announced on November 10 and 11, while the winners will be revealed at the World Athletics Awards in Monaco on November 29.

 

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