Best Of 2018: Newcomers Of The Year

Best Of 2018: Newcomers Of The Year

FloTrack picks the top newcomers of 2018.

Dec 18, 2018 by Lincoln Shryack
Best Of 2018: Newcomers Of The Year

Some of the most entertaining and accomplished stars of the 2018 track and field season were either under-the-radar names before this year, or competed in their first season at a specific level of competition. Here are FloTrack’s top five newcomers of the year:

5. Abraham Kiptum

The 29-year-old Kenyan was not on anyone’s radar entering 2018. Prior to the 2018 season, he had a modest 59:36 half marathon best and a 2:05:26 marathon PR from Amsterdam. But that all changed on Oct. 28, as the unheralded Kiptum sliced five seconds off of the half marathon world record -- which had stood since 2010 -- with his 58:18 in Valencia, Spain.

4. Lynna Irby

The Georgia freshman became just the third NCAA woman to crack 50 seconds for 400m in the 2018 NCAA outdoor final, and her 49.80 in Eugene was good for second-best in collegiate history and fifth in the world this year.

Irby's 50.44 in the 2018 NCAA East Preliminary Round:

null

Unlock this video, live events, and more with a subscription!

Sign Up

Already a subscriber? Log In


Irby improved dramatically throughout her first season in Athens, as she lowered both her indoor (22.55) and outdoor (22.25) 200m PRs by well over a second in 2018 and ran off five consecutive 400m PRs to end her freshman campaign.

Her immense contributions helped the Bulldogs claim their first NCAA team title indoors and place runner-up outdoors.

3. Sydney McLaughlin

She only spent one year at Kentucky, but Sydney McLaughlin packed a lot into her lone season in the NCAA. Not only did the freshman set the world junior and NCAA record with her stunning 52.75 400m hurdles performance at SECs, but the then-18-year-old also launched herself into the top 10 all-time in the event.

McLaughlin's 54.78 in the 2018 NCAA East Preliminary Round:

null

Unlock this video, live events, and more with a subscription!

Sign Up

Already a subscriber? Log In


The 2016 Olympian, who promptly went pro after winning the 400m hurdles NCAA crown in June, was a star outside of her speciality in 2018 as well. McLaughlin’s 50.36 400m at NCAA indoor is second-best in collegiate history, while her outdoor 50.07 is good for fourth all-time. 

2. Selemon Barega

There was a point late in the outdoor season when it looked like no man would break 13 minutes in the 5,000m for the first time since 1993. Then the Brussels Diamond League final on Aug. 31 happened. Eight men broke the barrier that day, and none were faster than 18-year-old Selemon Barega of Ethiopia, whose 12:43.02 propelled the teen to fourth in world history and the fastest time in more than 14 years. So much for that sub-13:00 slump.


Barega had already run 12:55 before 2018, but he was very much still a raw prospect before his monster season this year. He also earned silver in the world indoor 3k in March and won the loaded Pre Classic two-mile in May before taking the world by storm with his sparkling run in Belgium. 

1. Abderrahman Samba

Before 2018, Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba was just another professional 400m hurdler -- a world championship finalist, but certainly not on the shortlist of the greatest in the world. That all changed this year.

The 23-year-old was one of biggest breakout stars of the outdoor season, as his undefeated 400m hurdles campaign was punctuated on June 30 in Paris with his No. 2 all-time 46.98, the fastest time in the world since Kevin Young’s 46.78 world record in 1992. Samba’s PR entering 2018 was a modest 48.31 -- a mark that barely cracks the top 100 performers list -- but by the end of the year he had broken 48 seconds on eight occasions and surpassed the great Edwin Moses on the event’s all-time list. Not bad.


Heading into Doha 2019, Samba will no doubt be the face of the meet for the home country at the world championships, and he’ll have a shot to break the world record at the event as well.