Kenya: Double World Champ Kipyegon Leads List for World Female Athlete of the Year

11 October 2023
Capital FM (Nairobi)
By Timothy Olobulu

Nairobi — Double World record holder and double World Champion Faith Kipyegon leads the list of 11 nominees released by World Athletics on Wednesday afternoon, for the 2023 female athlete of the year award.

Kipyegon had a brilliantly successful 2023, breaking three world records in her 1500m specialty, the track mile and the 5,000m, though the latter has since been broken by Ethiopian Gudaf Tsegay.

She also went on to become the first woman to win three World Championship titles consecutively in the women's 1500m and topped it up with the 5,000m global crown in Budapest in August.

Kipyegon also recently closed down her season with a bronze medal in the mile at the World Road Running Championships.

With the success she has amassed over the year, the 29-year old Kenyan is seen as the leading candidate for the crown. Tsegay, who won the Diamond Trophy as she broke Kipyegon's record on top of a 10,000m world title has also been nominated.

Kipyegon's ambition for the trophy will come under sharp competition as she will battle it out with Kenyan-turned Bahraini Winfred Mutile Yavi who won the steeplechase world title as well as the Diamond Trophy in Eugene.

Ethiopian marathoner Tigist Assefa who broke the world record recently as she won the Berlin Marathon has also been named in the provisional list of 11. Also nominated is American Sha'Carri Richardson who won the 100m world title, as well as bronze in the 200m.

Other nominees are Venezuelan Yulimar Rojas (triple jump world champion, Diamond Trophy winner), Spanish racewalker Maria Perez (20km, 35km world champion and 45km world record holder), Ukraine's Yaroslava Mahuchikh (high jump world champion and Diamond Trophy winner), Haruka Kitaguchi of Japan (javelin world champion, Diamond Trophy winner), Jamaican Shericka Jackson (200m world champion, 100m silver medalist, Diamond Trophy in 100m and 200m) and Netherlands' Femke Bol (400m hurdles world champion, 400m world indoor record).

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 50pc of the result, while the World Athletics Family's votes and the public votes will each count for 25pc of the final result.

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

Read the original article on Capital FM.

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