World Athletics Names Three Coach of the Year Finalists
Felipe de Siqueira, Rolando Greene and Ken Harnden are among the nominees for the new 2026 award.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Track & Field
World Athletics announced three finalists for the 2026 Coach of the Year award, a new honor that builds on the previous Coaching Achievement Award. The winner will be revealed at the World Athletics Awards on Sunday 29 November.
Why it matters
The award gives coaches formal recognition for athlete results at the global level. It follows the establishment of a Coaches' Commission at the end of 2025 that now shapes how nominees are chosen and voted on.
Coaches nominated include Felipe de Siqueira, who coaches two-time Olympic medallist Alison dos Santos, and Rolando Greene, coach of Masai Russell and Devynne Charlton. Records set in 2026 by these athletes, including Dos Santos's 45.80 seconds in the 400m hurdles, are among the figures cited in the nominations, but the source does not say how the finalists' records were weighted in the vote.
The players
World Athletics
World Athletics is the international governing body for track and field, responsible for global rankings, records and championships.
Alison dos Santos
Alison dos Santos is a Brazilian 400m hurdler and two-time Olympic medallist who set a 45.80 second world record in the event.
Felipe de Siqueira
Felipe de Siqueira is a Brazilian coach who trains Alison dos Santos and is among the nominees for the award.
Rolando Greene
Rolando Greene is a Bahamian coach who works with sprint hurdlers Masai Russell and Devynne Charlton.
The details
World Athletics said the new Coach of the Year award replaces its previous Coaching Achievement Award. Area coaches' associations, or alternative nominated bodies, voted by ranking the nominees, under a revamped system set by the Coaches' Commission.
Timeline
End of 2025: Coaches' Commission established.
November 4, 2026: Three finalists announced.
Sunday 29 November 2026: Winner to be announced at the World Athletics Awards.
Season Trajectory
The new Coach of the Year award replaces the earlier World Athletics Coaching Achievement Award, with nominations now shaped by a Coaches' Commission established at the end of 2025. The 2026 finalists were selected from athlete results that include multiple world records in the hurdles events.
Fans following the hurdles events can track which coaches are recognised, since the winner will be named at the World Athletics Awards. The nominations also highlight coaches tied to recent world records, which may shape how athletes and programmes are discussed in the season ahead.
The takeaway
Coaching success at the top level is now being formally measured and honoured, giving athletes' coaches a clearer public standard. Readers following the sport can watch the November awards to see which approach the voters rewarded.
What happens next
The World Athletics Awards on Sunday 29 November 2026 will reveal the winner of the Coach of the Year award.
Further reading
Explore more Track & Field coverage for context on the athletes and coaches behind these nominations.
