Koech's Diamond League win earns him USATF Athlete of the Week honors

INDIANAPOLIS -- Dashing to victory in the men's 1500 at the Rabat Diamond League meet, Jonah Koech (Colorado Springs, CO/USATF Colorado) earned recognition as the 20th USATF Athlete of the Week award winner for 2025.

Koech, who represented Team USATF in the 800 at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene after a runner-up finish at the USATF Outdoor Championships, dashed past the leaders down the final stretch of the 1500 at Rabat to take the win in a huge personal best of 3:31.43. That time took almost six seconds off his previous PB and put him more than a quarter-second ahead of Kenya's Reynold Kipkorir, the 8th-place finisher at the 2023 World Championships. It was also the fastest 1500 time of the year by an American.

Other top performances from last week:

• Brooke Andersen won the women's hammer at the USATF Throws Festival with a world-leading 79.29/260-1, the seventh farthest throw ever by an American woman.
• Alexis Brown of Lenoir-Rhyne won the NCAA II Championships women's 100 in 10.93, the fastest time by an American woman this season. Brown also won the 200 in a wind-aided 22.37.
• Sam Blaskowski won the men's 100 and 200 at the NCAA Division III Championships and helped his Wisconsin-La Crosse squad to 4x100 victory to take the school to the team title.
• Quentin Nauman of Epworth (Iowa) Western Dubuque High School won the Iowa state meet 800 in 1:49.41 and 1600 in 3:59.60.

Now in its 24th year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week when there are high-level competitions and features the athlete on USATF.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.

2025 Winners: January 15, Zariel Macchia; January 22, Conner Mantz; January 29, Katelyn Tuohy; February 5, Ethan Strand; February 12, Yared Nuguse; February 19, Grant Fisher; February 26, Josh Hoey; March 5, Heather MacLean; March 12, Cole Boone; March 19, Isabella Whittaker; March 26, Claire Bryant; April 2, Curtis Thompson; April 9, Taylor Roe; April 16, Valarie Allman; April 23, Jane Hedengren; April 30, Kaitlin Bounds; May 6, Masai Russell; May 13, Lynna Irby-Jackson; May 20, Jaydin Blackwell; May 27, Jonah Koech.

We welcome your nominations!

To nominate an athlete for USATF Athlete of the Week, please send a detailed email about their performance to communications@usatf.org.

Join the conversation with USATF on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook using the hashtag #USATF.

Photo Credit: Diamond League AG