Faith Kipyegon nominated for World Athlete of the Year award

Double world champion Faith Kipyegon, who broke three track world records this year, is among 11 nominees for the 2023 World Athletes of the Year female award.

Kipyegon completed a double at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary in August, a month after she shattered world records in the 1,500m, 5,000m and one mile races.

The29-year-old, who is the 2016 and 2021 Olympic 1,500m champion, achieved the world records in less than two months.  

The nominees were selected by an international panel of athletics experts, comprising representatives from all six continental areas of World Athletics.

A three-way voting process will determine the finalists.

The World Athletics Council and the World Athletics Family will cast their votes by email, while fans can vote online via the World Athletics social media platforms.

Individual graphics for each nominee will be posted on Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube this week; a 'like' on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube or a repost on X will count as one vote.

The World Athletics Council’s vote will count for 50 per cent of the result, while the World Athletics Family’s votes and the public votes will each count for 25 per cent of the final result.

Voting for the World Athletes of the Year closes at midnight on October 28. At the conclusion of the voting process, five women and five men finalists will be announced by World Athletics on November 13-14.

The winners will be revealed on World Athletics’ social media platforms on December 11.

The world 10,000m champion Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia has since shattered Kipyegon’s 5,000m world record and is among the nominees.

Others are Kenyan-born Bahraini Winfred Yavi, who won the world 3,0000m steeplechase title, marathon world record holder Tigist Assefa (Ethiopia) and world 100m champion Sha’Carri Richardson (USA).

World 200m champion Shericka Jackson and world triple jump champion Yulimar Rojas (Venezuela), who is the 2020 winner,  are also in contention for the award  among others.

The most coveted of Kipyegon’s world records came at the Florence Diamond League on June 2 when she ran 3:49.11 to break the 1,500m world record of 3:50.07 set by Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba in Monaco on July 17, 2015.

Her achievement in Florence, the first by a Kenyan woman, officially cemented Kipyegon’s legacy as the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) in women’s middle-distance running after adding the world record to her collection.

A week later, she raced at the Paris Diamond League, on June 9 and stepped up to the 5, 000m.

While her original aim might not have been the world record of 14:06.62 set by Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey in Valencia on October 7, 2020, Kipyegon still broke it, running 14:05.20 on her third-ever race at the distance and her first since 2015.

Kipyegon clocked 4:07.64 at Monaco Diamond on July 21 to obliterate the previous One Mile record of 4:12.33 set by Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan at the same venue in 2019.

Moving to Budapest, Kipyegon made history as the first woman in history to sweep the 1,500m and 5,000m gold medals at one world championships.

She sealed a hat-trick of wins in 1,500m after previous wins in 2017 London and 2022 Oregon, in 3:54.87 seconds. Kipyegon would hold off the pack to win the world 5,000m title in 14: 53.88.

Kipyegon went on to retain her Diamond League Trophy, winning at Prefontaine Classic on September 16 in the United States of America before wrapping up her season with bronze in Road Mile at the World Road Running Championships on October 1 in Riga, Latvia.

The world 10,000m champion Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia has since shattered Kipyegon’s 5,000m world record (14:05.20) with new times of 14:00.21 when winning the Diamond League Trophy at the Prefontaine Classic.

This week marks the opening of the voting process for the 2023 World Athletes of the Year ahead of the World Athletics Awards 2023.

This is the third consecutive time Kipyegon is being nominated for the top award that no Kenyan woman has ever won it.

The nominations reflect some of the standout performances achieved at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23, one-day meeting circuits, label road races and other events around the world.

Tigist Assefa, ETH, marathon

· Berlin Marathon winner

· World marathon record
 
Femke Bol, NED, 400m/400m hurdles

· World 400m hurdles champion

· World indoor 400m record
 
Shericka Jackson, JAM, 100m/200m

· World 200m champion and 100m silver medallist

· Diamond League 100m and 200m champion
 
Faith Kipyegon, KEN, 1500m/mile/5000m

· World 1500m and 5000m champion

· World records at 1500m, mile and 5000m
 
Haruka Kitaguchi, JPN, javelin

· World champion

· Diamond League champion
 
Yaroslava Mahuchikh, UKR, high jump

· World champion

· Diamond League champion
 
Maria Perez, ESP, race walk

· World 20km and 35km race walk world champion

· World record at 35km race walk
 
Gudaf Tsegay, ETH, 5000m/10,000m

· World 10,000m champion

· Diamond League 5000m champion with world record
 
Sha’Carri Richardson, USA, 100m/200m

· World champion at 100m

· World bronze medallist at 200m
 
Yulimar Rojas, VEN, triple jump

· World champion

· Diamond league champion
 
Winfed Yavi, BRN, 3000m steeplechase

· World champion

· Diamond League champion with world lead