World Athletics has named 10 women for the World Athlete of the Year 2026 award, and fans can vote until midnight CEST on Saturday 17 October. The list includes four world record setters, four Ultimate Championship winners and China’s Yan Ziyi, the Asian Games javelin champion.
The nominees were announced on 6 October, together with the 10 men’s nominees. This page therefore covers every woman on the list and her 2026 season, how the vote works, how to vote and what happens next. In addition, every achievement below comes from the World Athletics announcement.
World Athlete of the Year 2026 women at a glance
- Nominees: 10 women, announced on 6 October 2026
- Voting closes: midnight CEST on Saturday 17 October (early on Sunday 18 October in India)
- Who votes: fans, athletes, media and the World Athletics Family, 25% each
- Finalists: three women, announced on 10 and 11 November
- Winner: announced live at the World Athletics Awards in Monaco on 29 November
- 2025 winner: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA)
World Athlete of the Year 2026: all 10 women nominees
A panel of eight statisticians picked the nominees: two from World Athletics and one from each of the six continental associations. As a result, the World Athlete of the Year 2026 women’s list covers sprints, hurdles, middle distance, road running, race walking and three throwing events.
| Athlete | Country | Event | 2026 highlight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tigst Assefa | Ethiopia | Marathon | Won Berlin in 2:11:04 (third-fastest ever) and London in a women-only world record of 2:15:41 |
| Chase Jackson | USA | Shot put | North American records of 21.02m and 21.14m; world indoor champion |
| Melissa Jefferson-Wooden | USA | 100m / 200m | Ultimate Championship sprint double; world leads of 10.62 and 21.47 |
| Agnes Ngetich | Kenya | Road / cross-country | World half marathon champion in a women-only world record of 1:05:15; world cross-country champion |
| Marileidy Paulino | Dominican Republic | 400m | Ultimate and Diamond League champion; unbeaten, with a world-leading 48.48 |
| María Pérez | Spain | Race walk | Inaugural world record of 1:30:06 for the half marathon race walk; European champion |
| Camryn Rogers | Canada | Hammer throw | North American record of 81.13m; Commonwealth Games champion |
| Masai Russell | USA | 100m hurdles | World record of 12.09; unbeaten season with Ultimate and Diamond League titles |
| Audrey Werro | Switzerland | 800m | Ultimate, Diamond League and European champion; world lead of 1:53.70 |
| Yan Ziyi | China | Javelin throw | Asian and world U20 record of 71.74m; Asian Games and Diamond League champion |
The seasons behind the World Athlete of the Year 2026 women nominees
Masai Russell (USA), 100m hurdles
Russell set a world record of 12.09 and ran nine of the ten fastest times of the season. In addition, she was unbeaten in the 100m hurdles, and she won the Ultimate Championship title in Budapest as well as the Diamond League title.
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (USA), 100m and 200m
Jefferson-Wooden won a sprint double at the Ultimate Championship, taking the 100m and the 200m. Moreover, her world-leading 21.47 in the 200m put her third on the world all-time list, and she ran a world-leading 10.62 in the 100m.
Marileidy Paulino (Dominican Republic), 400m
Paulino won the Ultimate 400m title and regained the Diamond League title. Furthermore, she was unbeaten and ran under 49 seconds in eight races, and set a world lead and Diamond League record of 48.48.
Audrey Werro (Switzerland), 800m
Werro won the Ultimate, Diamond League and European 800m titles. On top of that, she broke the Diamond League record three times, and her world-leading 1:53.70 puts her third on the world all-time list.
Tigst Assefa (Ethiopia), marathon
First, Assefa won the London Marathon in a women-only world record of 2:15:41. Later, she won the Berlin Marathon in 2:11:04, the third-fastest time in history.
Agnes Ngetich (Kenya), road and cross-country
Ngetich won the world half marathon title by 50 seconds in a women-only world record of 1:05:15. Besides that, she won the world cross-country title by 42 seconds and ran world leads for 3000m (8:08.95) and 10km (28:58).
María Pérez (Spain), race walk
Pérez set the inaugural world record for the half marathon race walk, 1:30:06. Remarkably, she did it while winning the European title by 58 seconds.
Chase Jackson (USA), shot put
First of all, Jackson improved the North American shot put record twice, to 21.02m and then 21.14m. In addition, she won the world indoor title and set a Diamond League record to regain the Diamond Trophy.
Camryn Rogers (Canada), hammer throw
Above all, Rogers improved her own North American record to 81.13m, which keeps her second on the world all-time list. In fact, she also had the five best throws in the world this year and retained her Commonwealth Games title.
Yan Ziyi: the only Asian among the World Athlete of the Year 2026 women
Yan Ziyi of China is the only Asian woman on the list. To begin with, she opened her season with 71.74m, an Asian and world U20 record that puts her second on the world all-time javelin list. Then, in Nagoya, she won the Asian Games javelin title with 70.46m, an Asian Games record, at the age of 18.
Asia, in fact, has a javelin champion on both lists. Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, who won the men’s javelin gold in Nagoya, is among the men’s nominees. You can read more about the Chinese athletics team at the Asian Games on our site.
How to vote for World Athlete of the Year 2026 (women and men)
The vote decides the final ranking of all ten World Athlete of the Year 2026 women nominees, from first to tenth. In total, four groups vote, and each one counts for 25% of the result:
| Voting group | Who is in it | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Fans | Anyone, through the World Athletics online survey | 25% |
| Athletes | Athletes who competed at World Athletics Series events in 2026 | 25% |
| Media | Commentators, journalists and content creators accredited at World Athletics Series events in 2026 | 25% |
| World Athletics Family | Council and commission members, meeting directors, member federation presidents, partners and staff | 25% |
What happens after the World Athlete of the Year 2026 women and men vote
After that, the six finalists are invited to the World Athletics Awards in Monaco, where each winner is announced on stage. For comparison, last year Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone of the USA won the women’s award and Mondo Duplantis of Sweden the men’s, as World Track reported.