Addis Ababa, October 6, 2026 (FMC) — Ethiopian marathon star and Berlin Marathon champion Tigst Assefa has been named among the nominees for the 2026 Women’s World Athlete of the Year award by World Athletics.
Assefa is one of 10 athletes nominated for the prestigious women’s award following a remarkable 2026 season highlighted by major marathon victories and record-breaking performances.
She won the BMW Berlin Marathon on September 27 in 2:11:04, the third-fastest marathon time in history. Assefa mounted a serious challenge for the world record and was still on pace to threaten the mark at 40 kilometres before a late physical difficulty halted her pursuit. She nevertheless held on to claim the Berlin title.
Earlier in the year, Assefa won the London Marathon in 2:15:41, setting the women-only world record. The performance was subsequently ratified by World Athletics as an official world record.
World Athletics said these two performances underpin Assefa’s nomination for the 2026 Women’s World Athlete of the Year honour.
The other women nominated are Chase Jackson, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Masai Russell of the United States; Kenya’s Agnes Ngetich; Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic; Spain’s María Pérez; Canada’s Camryn Rogers; Switzerland’s Audrey Werro; and China’s Yan Ziyi.
The 20 nominees—10 women and 10 men—were selected by an eight-member panel of statisticians comprising two representatives from World Athletics and one from each of its six area associations.
The nominees will now go through a four-way voting process involving World Athletics fans, athletes, media and the wider World Athletics Family. Each group will contribute 25 percent of the final vote.
The six finalists, three women and three men, will be announced on November 10 and 11, while the winners will be crowned at the World Athletics Awards in Monaco on November 29.