World Athletics has officially unveiled its nine-athlete shortlist for the May Athlete of the Month award, highlighting some of the most exceptional track and field performances globally. Among the nominees is South Africa’s own Lythe Pillay, whose standout performance at the World Relay Championships in Gaborone, Botswana, has earned him a well-deserved spot on the list.
Pillay is nominated following his delivery of the fastest 4x400m split in history. His phenomenal run helped anchor the South African quartet to a silver medal and a new African Record. The final in Botswana was a historic event in itself, producing three of the fastest times ever recorded in the discipline. Botswana secured gold with the third-fastest time in history, while South Africa’s silver-medal run now ranks as the fifth-fastest globally. Australia claimed bronze just behind South Africa, logging the sixth-fastest time in history. The enduring world record of 2:54.29, set by the United States in 1993, remains intact.
Pillay faces strong international competition for the May accolade. The nominee shortlist features a diverse array of record-breakers and champions, including the Botswana men’s 4x400m relay team for their historic gold-medal run, and the Australian relay squad, recognized for qualifying all their teams for the upcoming World Championships.
The field is further strengthened by Switzerland’s Simon Ehammer, nominated for setting a world decathlon long jump best of 8.51m; Mexico’s Alegna González, recognized for securing three different race victories on the World Race Walking Tour; and Jamaica’s mixed 4x100m team, who established two world records during the World Relay Championships.
Rounding out the list of elite nominees are American sprinter Masai Russell, who clocked 12.14 seconds for the second-fastest 100m race in history; the Netherlands’ Jessica Schilder, who became the first woman in over 14 years to break the 21-metre barrier in the shot put with a throw of 21.09m; and China’s Yan Ziyi, who set a U20 world javelin record with a massive throw of 71.74m.
The athlete ultimately selected for May will join an exclusive group of 2026 monthly award recipients:
January: Sam Ruthe (New Zealand) – Set a new U18 mile record of 3:48.88.
February: Keely Hodgkinson (Great Britain) – Broke the 800m short track record with a time of 1:54.87.
March: Simon Ehammer (Switzerland) – Set a new world record of 6670 points in the Heptathlon.
April: Sebastian Sawe (Kenya) – Broke the two-hour barrier with a world record 1:59.30 at the London Marathon.
The voting process is entirely open to the public, giving athletics fans the final say in determining the winner. For South African supporters wanting to back Pillay’s historic run, the voting window is currently active.
Entries close on the 7th of June, 2026, and are limited to one vote per person. To cast a vote, supporters will need to log into their World Athletics profile (or register a free account if they do not yet have one) via the official voting portal: https://worldathletics.org/worldathletics-plus/athlete-of-the-month
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