One month after being crowned European Athlete of the Year for the third time, Armand Duplantis was crowned World Athlete of the Year for the third time at the World Athletics Awards in Monaco on Sunday (30) evening.
Duplantis has amassed another superlative season in the pole vault, winning all 14 of his competitions and breaking his world record on four occasions, culminating with a 6.30m clearance at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo where he won his third world title.
The Swede now has his sights on breaking his world record again at next year’s European Athletics Championships in Birmingham from 10-16 August. "I guess I haven't broken the world record at the European Championships? So yes, that's something that I have to do. That'd be great if I was able to do it in Birmingham," he said in a recent interview with European Athletics.
Spain’s Maria Perez was also among the award winners. She was named women’s Out of Stadium Athlete of the Year after successfully defending her 20km and 35km race walk titles at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
Perez also won back-to-back titles in the 35km race walk at the European Athletics Race Walking Team Championships in Podebrady in a world lead of 2:38:59.
Belgium’s Tim Van de Velde also won the International Fair Play Award for assisting an injured runner in the 3000m steeplechase heats at the World Athletics Championships.
Irish combined events coach Michael O’Connor also won the 2025 Coaching Achievement Award, recognising his outstanding commitment to athlete development.
He is the long-time coach of his daughter Kate who became the first Irish athlete to win a heptathlon medal at the World Athletics Championships, winning silver in Tokyo behind Anna Hall from the United States.
Photo courtesy of Christel Saneh / World Athletics