Track and field pole vaulter Armando Duplantis (Sweden) and women’s soccer player Aitana Bommatti (Spain) were named Athlete of the Year by the International Sports Press Association (AIPS). The 2025 AIPS Champion was decided by voting by a record 836 journalists from 121 countries.
On December 30, 2025, the association announced the top ten men and women. Swedish pole vaulter Duplantis has built an overwhelming lead in the annual AIPS year-end poll and has been named AIPS Male Athlete of the Year for the second year in a row. The 2025 AIPS Best Female Athlete Award was awarded to Spanish soccer player Bonmati for the first time.
Duplantis finished off an incredible season in which he broke four world records, earning a commanding victory in the Male Athlete of the Year category with 1,182 points. Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz is second with 784 points, and French soccer player Ousmane Dembele is third with 713 points. Japan’s Daiki Hashimoto (gymnastics) and Shohei Otani (baseball) were picked up by organizers as athletes to watch, but they did not make it into the top ten.
Men’s Athlete of the Year
1. Duplantis Armando (Sweden) – Athletics – 1182
2. Alcaraz Carlos (Spain) – Tennis – 784
3. Dembele Ousmane (France) – Soccer – 713
4. Hakimi Achraf (Morocco) – Soccer – 531
5. Pogacar Tadej (Slovenia) – Cycling – 410
6. Yamal Lamine (Spain) – Soccer – 332
7. Mbappé Kylian (France) – Soccer – 274
8. Sinar Janic (Italy) – Tennis – 219
9. Doncic Luka (Slovenia) – Basketball – 192
10. Salah Mohamed (Egypt) – Soccer – 191
Bommatti scored 824 points and won the Best Female Athlete Award for the 2025 Games for the first time after finishing third in the 2023 Games and second in the 2024 Games. Bonmati was followed by Kenyan distance runner Beatrice Chebet with 453 points and Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka with 446 points.
Female Athlete of the Year
1. Bommatti Aitana (Spain) – Soccer – 824
2. Chebet Beatrice (Kenya) – Athletics – 453
3. Sabalenka Arena (Belarus) – Tennis – 446
4. McLaughlin-Levroni Sidney (USA) – Track and Field – 393
5. Bol Femke (Netherlands) – Athletics – 356
6. Caldente Mariona (Spain) – Soccer – 298
7. Gauff Coco (USA) – Tennis – 281
8. Kipyegon Faith (Kenya) – Athletics – 257
9. Brignone Federica (Italy) – Alpine Skiing – 256
10. Allman Valerie (USA) – Track and Field – 251
