Gothenburg: Sweden's pole vault sensation Armand Duplantis and American sprinting icon Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone have been recognized as the World Athletes of the Year at the prestigious 2025 World Athletics awards ceremony held on Sunday.According to Namibia Press Agency, Duplantis had an extraordinary year, shattering the men's pole vault world record four times and maintaining an unbeaten streak in all 16 of his competitions. His achievements include winning both the indoor and outdoor world titles. Notably, the 26-year-old athlete has set a historic milestone by becoming the first male pole vaulter in modern athletics history to remain undefeated in a single event for two consecutive years.In the women's category, McLaughlin-Levrone's remarkable performance saw her clinch the 400m title at the Tokyo World Championships with a record-breaking time of 47.78 seconds, surpassing a 42-year-old championship record. She has made history as the first athlete to secure world titles in both the 400m flat and th e 400m hurdles. Additionally, she played a crucial role in leading Team USA to victory in the 4x400m relay at the Tokyo Worlds.Duplantis and McLaughlin-Levrone were also recognized for their exceptional contributions in their respective fields, with Duplantis being named the men's field athlete of the year and McLaughlin-Levrone receiving the women's track athlete of the year honor. Other notable awardees included Spanish racewalker Maria Perez and Kenyan long-distance runner Sabastian Sawe as the out-of-stadium athletes of the year. Kenya's 800m specialist Emmanuel Wanyonyi was honored as the men's track athlete of the year, while Australia's Nicola Olyslagers was celebrated as the women's field athlete of the year.This year's Rising Stars accolades were awarded to world medalists Edmund Serem from Kenya and China's Zhang Jiale. Zhang made headlines by setting a new world U20 hammer record of 77.24m at the Chinese Championships in Quzhou and securing a bronze medal at the World Championships in Tokyo. Se rem also impressed with a bronze medal finish in the 3,000m steeplechase at the Tokyo Worlds, alongside notable performances throughout the Diamond League season.During the ceremony, World Athletics president Sebastian Coe expressed gratitude towards the athletes for their contributions, highlighting the significance of the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo as the most widely covered and commercially impactful event in the history of the sport.Furthermore, this year's awards recognized China's contributions by bestowing the Member Federation Award on the nation.