Africa has six (6) nominees for the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Athlete of the Year award. These have three men with the women dominating with four women.
South African men’s 400m world record holder Wayde van Niekerk, men’s long jump world champion Luvo Manyonga and women’s 800m world and Olympic champion Caster Semenya are on the shortlist for the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) men’s World Athlete of the Year excepting Elijah Manangoi from Kenya.
Ethiopia’s sole nomination is Almaz Ayana who was also IAAF’s female World Athlete of the Year, 2016 and Kenya’s super athlete, Hellen Obiri, who is the 5000m world champion.
The announcement was made on Monday by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) among a list of 10 men and women.
The voting process starts this week for the World Athletes of the Year ahead of the IAAF Athletics Awards 2017 in Monaco on November 24.
The male and female World Athletes of the Year will be declared live on stage at the IAAF Athletics Awards.
The total nominees for 2017 World Athlete of the Year are:
Men:
Mutaz Essa Barshim (QAT)
Pawel Fajdek (POL)
Mohamed Farah (GBR)
Sam Kendricks (USA)
Elijah Manangoi (KEN)
Luvo Manyonga (RSA)
Omar McLeod (JAM)
Christian Taylor (USA)
Wayde van Niekerk (RSA)
Johannes Vetter (GER)
Women:
Almaz Ayana (ETH)
Maria Lasitskene (ANA)
Hellen Obiri (KEN)
Sally Pearson (AUS)
Sandra Perkovic (CRO)
Brittney Reese (USA)
Caster Semenya (RSA)
Ekaterini Stefanidi (GRE)
Nafissatou Thiam (BEL)
Anita Wlodarczyk (POL)
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