World’s 1500m record holder Faith Kipyegon has made the final shortlist of five athletes who will battle it out for the 2023 World Women’s Athlete of the Year award.
Kipyegon was among the top eleven nominees selected for the World Women’s Athlete of the Year award, a prestigious accolade presented by World Athletics.
In a statement released on Monday, November 13, World athletics confirmed names of the final athletes selected for this prestigious award.
“The names of the five finalists for Women’s World Athlete of the Year honors have been confirmed, as the countdown to the World Athletics Awards 2023 continues,” read part of the statement.
Additionally, World Athletics revealed that the five athletes represent five countries from four area associations, having achieved sensational performances.
Voting for the World Athletes of the Year remained open until midnight on Saturday, 28 October 2023.
The eagerly awaited moment will arrive on 11 December when the winners will be revealed on World Athletics’ social media platforms.
A Remarkable Year for Kipyegon
In a year marked by exceptional performances, Kipyegon distinguished herself by achieving extraordinary feats in 2023.
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Her remarkable accomplishments include clinching gold in the 1500m and 5000m events at the World Athletics Championships, an incredible double victory.
Even more astonishing, Kipyegon shattered world records in the 1500m, mile, and 5000m, highlighting her dominance across various distances.
Selection
The Athletes were selected from the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, one-day meeting circuits, Label Road races, and other global competitions.
Likewise, the World Athletics body acknowledged that the nominees have left an indelible mark on the world of athletics.
“In what has been another memorable year for the sport, the nominations reflect some of the standout performances,” the governing body noted.
Kipyegon to Face Other Athletes
Nevertheless, Faith’s final opponents for the award include Ethiopian Tigist Assefa, who won the Berlin Marathon setting a world marathon record.
Next in the final shortlist is Dutch runner Femke Bol, who clinched the World 400m hurdles championship and established a world indoor 400m record.
Shericka Jackson from Jamaica, a World 200m champion and 100m silver medalist, also made it to the final shortlist.
Her highlight achievements of the year were winning the Diamond League 100m and 200m events.
Additionally, world triple jump champion Yulimar Rojas of Venezuela closes the list.
Other athletes who initially made up the first shortlist of eleven athletes included Ethiopian Gudaf Tsegay.
Gudaf claimed the World 10,000m championship and won the Diamond League 5000m championship with a world record.
Haruka Kitaguchi, Yaroslava Mahuchikh, Maria Perez, Sha’Carri Richardson,and Winfreed Yavi also made up the initial list.
Further, the body revealed that these athletes were selected by an international panel of athletics experts, comprising representatives from all six continental areas of World Athletics.
The selection of the Women’s World Athlete of the Year was determined through a three-way voting process.
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“The World Athletics Council and the World Athletics Family cast their votes by email.
Fans logged their decisions online via the World Athletics social media platforms where a record 2 million votes were registered,” announced World Athletics.
A ‘like’ on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, or a retweet on Twitter, counted as one vote.
Also, the result will be a combination of these votes, with the World Athletics Council’s vote accounting for 50% of the result.
Notably, the World Athletics Family’s and public votes each contribute 25% to the final decision.
