Mondo Duplantis Bags Another Major Honour as Beatrice Chebet Narrowly Falls Short

Swedish pole vault sensation Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis has once again been crowned the AIPS Best Athlete of 2025 as Beatrice Chebet narrowly missed out on the top spot to Spanish football star Aitana Bonmati.

The results were determined by a poll of 836 journalists from 121 countries, a record turnout for the annual vote organised by the International Sports Press Association (AIPS).

Mondo Duplantis secured the Best Male Athlete award for the second consecutive year, earning a dominant 1182 points.

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His victory comes after another remarkable season where he rewrote the world record books. Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz finished second with 784 points, while French footballer Ousmane Dembele was third with 713 points.

In the women's category, Aitana Bonmati claimed the top honour for the first time with 824 points, improving on her third and second-place finishes in 2023 and 2024.

Beatrice Chebet took second place with 453 points, narrowly ahead of Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka, who finished third with 446 points.

Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis continued his reign over men's pole vault in 2025, achieving an undefeated season both indoors and outdoors for the second year in a row, a first in the modern era. The 26-year-old Swede was unbeaten across 16 competitions.

Throughout the year, he set four new world records, pushing the bar to 6.27m in Clermont-Ferrand, 6.28m in Stockholm, 6.29m in Budapest, and an incredible 6.30m to win his third straight world title in Tokyo. Duplantis has now broken the world record 14 times since February 2020.

His stellar season also included a third consecutive World Indoor title in Nanjing and a fifth straight Diamond League trophy in Zurich.

His achievements were further recognised at the World Athletics Awards, where he was named both Men's World Athlete of the Year and Men's Field Athlete of the Year.

Second-place finisher Carlos Alcaraz, 22, had an outstanding year on the ATP Tour, winning a tour-leading eight titles, including major victories at Roland Garros and the US Open. With 71 match wins, he secured the year-end No. 1 ranking.

Ousmane Dembele, who placed third, enjoyed a trophy-laden 2024/25 season with Paris Saint-Germain, winning six titles: the Trophee des Champions, Ligue 1, Coupe de France, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Intercontinental Cup. His individual accolades included the Ballon d'Or and the Best FIFA Men's Player award.

Midfield maestro Aitana Bonmati, 27, solidified her status as a dominant force in women's football for the third consecutive year.

Despite her club and country finishing as runners-up, she was named the MVP of both the UEFA Women’s Champions League and the UEFA Women’s EURO. She also played a pivotal role in Barcelona's domestic treble-winning campaign.

Since her breakout performance at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, Bonmati has remained at the sport's pinnacle, winning the Ballon d'Or and The Best FIFA Women's Player awards for the third year in a row.

However, her year ended on a difficult note after she suffered a fractured left fibula in training with the Spanish national team, an injury expected to sideline her for several months in 2026.

Beatrice Chebet, who finished second, made history at the World Championships in Tokyo by winning a distance double in the 10,000m and 5,000m.

In July, she shattered the 5,000m world record at the Eugene Diamond League, becoming the first woman to break the 14-minute barrier.

Third-place finisher Aryna Sabalenka was named WTA Player of the Year for the second straight season. She reached a tour-high nine finals, won four titles, and secured 63 match wins, setting a new single-season prize money record. She held the WTA World No. 1 ranking for the entire year.