Mattia Furlani challenges Armand Duplantis for athlete of the year award

In the finals for the title of World Athlete of the Year. There comes another prestigious accolade, yet another, to embellish Mattia Furlani’s magnificent season. The long jump world champion, a two-time gold medalist this year with an outdoor triumph in Tokyo after an indoor triumph in Nanjing, will vie for the award at the World Athletics Awards 2025 in the ‘Field’ (jumps and throws) category with pole vaulting phenom Armand Duplantis.

The long jump champion will be competing for the title at the World Athletics Awards 2025 in the ‘Field’ (jumps and throws) category with pole vaulting phenom Armand Duplantis.

The long jump champion will be competing for the title of World Athlete of the Year.

They were five candidates, now only two are left after the first round that also considers the public’s votes on social media. It will be a head-to-head between the 20-year-old outfielder of the Fiamme Oro, capable of becoming the youngest ever world gold medalist in the long jump and the youngest world champion in Italian athletics, and the Swede author of four world records this year, while the other nominations were Hamish Kerr (high, New Zealand), Pedro Pichardo (triple, Portugal) and Ethan Katzberg (hammer, Canada).

The Italian team’s top five nominees were Hamish Kerr (high, New Zealand), Pedro Pichardo (triple, Portugal) and Ethan Katzberg (hammer, Canada).

The Blue is thus among the twelve overall finalists in the award divided into three categories (track, field, out of stadium) for men and as many for women. Last season Furlani was proclaimed “Men’s Rising Star 2024” at the world level, winning the title for the best emerging athlete on a global scale, while he was recently included in the trio of finalists at the Golden Tracks of European Athletics along with winner Duplantis and Frenchman Jimmy Gressier. The verdict for the World Athletics Awards will be announced Nov. 30 at a ceremony in Monaco.