Top 10 US Male Athletes of the Year 2025 (5-1)

Top 10 US Male Athletes of the Year 2025 (5-1)

In 2025, several American track and field athletes showcased their dominance, earning medals, breaking records, and solidifying their legacies as some of the best in the sport. From World Championships to consistent wins on the Diamond League circuit, these athletes proved their mettle, and each moment in the spotlight was a testament to their talent and hard work.

Here’s our list from 5-1.

5. Ryan Crouser (Shot Put)

Ryan Crouser’s 2025 season was unlike any other year of his career. There were no tune-up meets, no Diamond League appearances, and no long buildup. He arrived at the World Championships in Tokyo having not faced a single opponent all season, qualifying only because he held the defending world title from Budapest in 2023.

Behind the scenes, the situation was far from comfortable. Crouser spent much of the year dealing with a serious elbow injury involving nerve entrapment. An MRI, contrast fluid, and limited training followed. His preparation was disrupted, and doubts lingered about whether he could even compete at full strength.

When he entered the ring on the opening day in Tokyo, he wasted no time. On his fifth throw, Crouser launched the shot 22.34 meters, a mark no one else could answer. The distance was modest by his standards but enough to secure his third straight world title.

In a season built on uncertainty, Crouser proved that experience, timing, and nerve still win championships.

4. Kenny Bednarek (100m, 200m)

Kenny Bednarek’s 2025 season was the year the distance between him and the very top noticeably shrank. From the spring onward, his racing carried a new calm. At the debut of the Grand Slam Track series, Bednarek was dominant, sweeping both the 100 and 200 meters in Kingston, Miami, and Philadelphia. World-leading runs followed, including 9.86 in Philadelphia and 19.84 in Miami, the product of sharper execution and a mindset built around staying relaxed.

That form peaked at the U.S. Championships in Eugene. Bednarek claimed his first national 100m title in 9.79s, a personal best that placed him among the fastest Americans ever. In the 200m, he renewed his rivalry with Noah Lyles, finishing second after a tense race that underscored how narrow the margins had become.

At the World Championships, Bednarek placed fourth in the 100m final after a strong semifinal, then earned silver in the 200 behind Lyles. The body of work earns him the No. 4 spot among the top American men of 2025, shaped by consistency, speed, and steady pressure on the sport’s benchmark.

3. Cordell Tinch (110m Hurdles)

Cordell Tinch’s 2025 season began with a sense of surprise and quickly turned into one of the year’s defining stories. After stepping away from the sport for several years to regroup, Tinch returned without noise or expectation. By April, he was impossible to ignore.

Earlier in the year, at the Diamond League opener in Xiamen, he announced himself by winning the 110mH in 13.06s, beating a field that included established stars. Weeks later in Shanghai, he went further, running 12.87s, the fastest time in the world that season and one of the quickest ever recorded so early in a year. Momentum followed him through the summer.

At the U.S. Championships, Tinch finished second behind Ja’Kobe Tharp, a result that secured his place on the world team. He stayed sharp, winning the Diamond League Final in Zurich in 12.92s to take his first trophy on the circuit.

The season reached its peak in Tokyo. From lane seven, Tinch powered home in 12.99 to win the world title. From time off the track to the top of the podium, he earns the No. 3 spot in our 2025 rankings.

2. Noah Lyles (100m, 200m)

Noah Lyles’ 2025 season was shaped by recovery, belief, and timing. The year did not open cleanly. Injuries interrupted his buildup, and consistency took time. Yet by the summer, Lyles began to look like himself again, trusting the work rather than forcing results.

At the U.S. Championships in Eugene, he delivered one of the year’s defining races. In the 200 meters, he tracked down an undefeated Kenny Bednarek over the final stretch, winning in 19.63 and reminding everyone how dangerous his closing speed remains. That form carried into the Diamond League Final in Zurich, where Lyles edged Letsile Tebogo by 0.02 seconds to claim his sixth Diamond League title, a win built on patience and race sense.

Tokyo brought both tests and closure. Lyles earned bronze in the 100 meters, running a season-best 9.89 after a difficult buildup. Days later, he returned to the same track with sharper focus. In a tight 200m final, he surged late to win in 19.52, equaling Usain Bolt’s mark of four straight world titles.

The season earns Lyles the No. 2 spot in our 2025 rankings, defined by trust in his strength when it mattered most.

1. Rai Benjamin (400m Hurdles)

Rai Benjamin’s 2025 season was built on patience before it was crowned by history. Early signs of form arrived on the Diamond League circuit, where he won in Paris with a meet record 46.93, holding off a fast-finishing Abderrahman Samba. A few weeks later at the Prefontaine Classic, Benjamin finished second to Alison dos Santos by six hundredths of a second, a narrow loss that confirmed how sharp the global field had become.

By August, Benjamin was fully in control. At the U.S. Championships, he dominated the 400m hurdles in 46.89, securing his place on the team for Tokyo and reasserting himself as the top American in the event. The season’s defining moment followed on the sport’s biggest stage.

At the World Championships in Tokyo, Benjamin finally claimed the gold that had eluded him. Running from lane seven, he surged past Karsten Warholm after halfway, built a clear lead by 300 meters, and crossed the line in 46.52. Even a stumble at the final hurdle could not stop him.

That victory completes his season and earns Benjamin the No. 1 spot among America’s top male athletes of 2025.