The World Athletics Rising Stars finalists

I was planning to publish my Rising Star list somewhat later in the month, closer to the nomination of the athletes of the year. But World Athletics surprised me once more publishing a finalist list for the Rising Star award and thus I felt I had to publish mine. And once that was online I had to comment on the WA choices.

First, let me state clearly that WA and myself do not have the same criteria. Perusing their finalists list it is clear that they limit their Rising Star selection to athletes who are under 20 years old. I find this too restrictive. For me athletes who 20 and 21 are still eligible and in fact my selection for this year, B. Kebinatsipi and F. Cherotich are both 21 years old. World Athletics have been unfair in their choice by ignoring both these athletes in their selection of the year's best and then eliminating them from the Rising Star final on age-related arguments.

At least F. Cherotich won the 2025 Jesse Owens Rising Star Award which honours the best U23 athlete at the Diamond League Final. And, in case you wonder, the Jesse Owens award for the best male went to L. Tebogo.

But let us see who did make the World Athletics list.

Phanuel Koech
Biniam Mehary
Edmund Serem

and 

Birke Haylom
Yan Ziyi
Zhang Jiale

I haven't at all considered Koech, despite his victory in the London Diamond League over 1500 m. Mehary was in my last year's list, but I found his performance in Tokyo underwhelming. He was qualified for the 10000, an event where he had won a Diamond League event this year, and opted to neglect the longer race in favour of the 5000 m. And he went on to finish a disappointing sixth in the shorter race. Serem is part of my Rising Star List, where I wrote that, for me, he is the rebirth of the kenyan steeplechase. I hope he wins the WA title. 

Haylom was out in the heats of the 5000 m in Tokyo, so I did not for a moment considered her for my list. J. Zhang, who won bronze in Tokyo, earned a mention on my list not only for her individual success but also because her medal accounted for 25% of China’s total haul.

The absence of Z. Yan from my lists is not easily explainable, all the more so since I am complaining about the low level of present-day female javelin throwers. Yan with a 65.89 m U20 WR should have been in my list. But, she was not present in Tokyo and somehow she slipped out of my mind. While working on this article, I decided to find out why she was absent from Tokyo. Well, that's due to the crazy WA rule that stipulates that, in order to participate, the athletes must be at least 18 years old. And Yan was still 17 in September. I now hope that she will go on to win the award.