World record holder, Tobi Amusan, did not make the final shortlist for the Women’s World Athlete of The Year Award.
The World Athletics on Wednesday, announced a list of 11 nominees for the award with only three Africans included in the list.
They are Tigist Assefa and Gudaf Tsegay, both from Ethiopia, and Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon.
Amusan, who holds the record in the women’s 100m hurdles, made history last year when she became the first Nigerian to be nominated for the Women’s World Athlete of The Year but she lost out to 400m hurdles record holder, Sydney McLaughlin.
Amusan last month won the 100m women’s hurdles in 12.33s to retain her Diamond League title, and becoming only the second woman in the history of the Diamond League to clinch three 100m hurdles titles in a row, equalling the record of Dawn Nelson-Harper.
Last year, Amusan produced a stunning performance at the World Championships in Eugene, winning the 100m hurdles gold and breaking the world record in the semi-final with a time of 12.12secs. She became the first Nigerian world champion and world record holder in an athletics event in the process. She also won gold medals in the 100m hurdles and the 4x100m relays at the Commonwealth Games.
This year’s nominees are headlined by five world record breakers led by Kenya’s World 1500m and 5000m champion, Faith Kipyegon, who set three world records in 2023 in the 1500m, one mile and 5000m.
Others are Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa, who set a World marathon record and won the Berlin Marathon and Dutchwoman, Femke Bol, who set a world indoor record in the 400m flat and Maria Perez — a record holder in the 35km race walk.
Gudaf Tsegay completes the list of world record holders among the nominees. The world 10,000m champion broke Kipyegon’s 5000m world record on her way to winning the event at the Diamond League final in Eugene, Oregon, USA.
Others listed are Shericka Jackson, the Jamaican world 200m champion and double sprint Diamond League winner; Japan’s world and Diamond League javelin champion, Haruka Kitaguchi, and Yaroslava Mahuchikh, who won the high jump title in Budapest and Eugene.
Also listed are world and Diamond League triple champion, Yulimar Rojas; Sha’Carri Richardson, the American who won the 100m title at the Worlds and Winfed Yavi from Bahrain, who won the 3000m steeplechase title in Budapest and Eugene.
Voting for the World Athletes of the Year closes at midnight on 28 October.
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.
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.
At the conclusion of the voting process, finalists will be announced by World Athletics on 13-14 November, with the winners unveiled on the World Athletics’ social media platforms on 11 December.
