Faith Kipyegon, Sha'Carri Richardson and Shericka Jackson to battle it out for World Athlete of the year award

ATHLETICS Faith Kipyegon, Sha'Carri Richardson and Shericka Jackson to battle it out for World Athlete of the year award

Abigael Wafula 17:30 - 11.10.2023

Faith Kipyegon will battle it out with Shericka Jackson and Sha'Carri Richardson as World Athletics announce 2023 World Athletes of the Year nominees.

Double world record holder Faith Kipyegon, World 100m champion Sha’Carri Richardson, and two-time World 200m champion Shericka Jackson are among the women nominated for the 2023 World Athletes of the Year ahead of the World Athletics Awards 2023.

In their announcement, World Athletics noted that this week marks the opening of the voting process having nominated a list of 11 nominees for Women’s World Athlete of the Year.

Kipyegon was nominated courtesy of her exploits at the World Championships where she bagged the 1500m and 5000m titles. She also broke three world records this season, the 1500m, mile, and 500m world records.

Another athlete nominated is Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa who was selected due to her Berlin Marathon exploits that saw her clinch the title while breaking the world record. Dutchwoman Femke Bol has also been selected thanks to her hard work that saw her become the World 400m hurdles champion and World Indoor 400m record holder.

Jackson has also made the cut to the list courtesy of her performance in the Diamond League where she won the 100m and 200m at the Prefontaine Classic. The Jamaican also defended the 200m world title and earned silver in the 100m at the World Championships.

Japan’s Haruka Kitaguchi is also among the nominees after her win at the World Championships and extending her hot streak to the Prefontaine Classic. Another athlete who has been selected is Yaroslava Mahuchikh of Ukraine, who at the age of 22, is a World champion and Diamond League champion.

Maria Perez of Spain also made the cut to the list due to being the World 20km and 35km race walk world champion and also being the World record holder over the 35km race walk.

Another Ethiopian, Gudaf Tsegay, also makes the list courtesy of her world title over the 10,000m and the Diamond League 5000m champion with the world record.

American Richardson also makes the cut after her performance at the World Championships where she bagged the 100m title and finished third in the 200m. Yulimar Rojas of Venezuela is also on the list due to being the World and Diamond League champion.

Wrapping up the list is Winfred Yavi, who is the World 3000m SC champion and the Diamond League Champion, where she also ran a world-leading time. 

World Athletics noted that the athletes 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 retweet on X will count as one vote. The World Athletics Council’s vote will count for 50% of the result, while the World Athletics Family’s votes and the public votes will each count for 25% of the final result.

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

The winners will be revealed on World Athletics’ social media platforms on December 11. Further information about the World Athletics Awards 2023 will be announced in the coming weeks.

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