Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Mondo Duplantis Emerge World Athletics Athletes of the Year

By Rosemary Ugiomoh

The world of athletics witnessed greatness as Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Mondo Duplantis were crowned the 2025 World Athletics Athletes of the Year.

This prestigious award recognizes the outstanding achievements of these two remarkable athletes who dominated their respective events.

Mondo Duplantis, the Swedish pole vault sensation, broke the men’s pole vault world record four times and remained undefeated in all 16 competitions, including sweeping both the indoor and outdoor world titles. His incredible performance earned him the men’s field athlete of the year award.Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the American sprinting star, made history by becoming the first athlete to win world titles in both the 400m flat and 400m hurdles. She won the women’s 400m title in Tokyo with a time of 47.78 seconds, breaking a 42-year-old World Championships record. Her impressive performance earned her the women’s track athlete of the year award .

The awards ceremony, held in Monaco, also recognized other outstanding athletes, including Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi as the men’s track athlete of the year and Australia’s Nicola Olyslagers as the women’s field athlete of the year.