Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis named Europe's best athlete in 2025

Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis became the winner of the 68th annual "Best European Athlete" award, organized by the Polish Press Agency (PAP), writes UNN.

According to the results of the voting by 23 leading news agencies of the continent, the two-time Olympic champion scored 184 points. 2025 was a triumphant year for Duplantis thanks to another world record at 6.30 meters.

Ukraine also had representatives on the list of the best thanks to boxer Oleksandr Usyk. The world heavyweight champion scored 16 points, sharing 14-15th place with the legendary Norwegian biathlete Johannes Boe, who retired. It is worth noting that 62 athletes in 22 sports were recognized in the current ranking, with football, athletics, and basketball delegating the largest number of nominees. Among women, the highest position was taken by Dutch runner Femke Bol, who, with 76 points, stopped at the fourth place in the overall standings.

Top 10 European athletes

1. Armand Duplantis (Sweden, athletics), 184 points

2. Carlos Alcaraz (Spain, tennis), 143 points

3. Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia, cycling), 134 points

4. Femke Bol (Netherlands, athletics), 76 points

5. Ousmane Dembélé (France, football), 70 points

6. Lando Norris (Great Britain, Formula 1), 68 points

7. Jannik Sinner (Italy, tennis), 57 points

8. Aryna Sabalenka (–, tennis), 56 points

9. Marco Odermatt (Switzerland, alpine skiing), 45 points

10. Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (Norway, cross-country skiing), 29 points