All eyes on Kenyans as World Athlete of the Year Awards gala goes down in Monaco

World marathon record holder Kelvin Kiptum and double world champion Faith Kipyegon hope to win the 2023 Male World Athlete of the Year and the 2023 Female World Athlete of the Year respectively.

The two made incredible highlights in their respective fields and will be eager to know their fate when the gala gets underway in Monte Carlo, Monaco on Monday night.

Kiptum lit the marathoning world aflame on Sunday, October 8 by running a record-breaking time in the Chicago Marathon, subtracting 34 seconds from Eliud Kipchoge's previous best of 2:01:09.

The astounding record took him a stride closer to becoming the fastest man to break the two-hour barrier in the historic marathon.

He will compete against javelin world champion Neeraj Chopra, shot put world record holder Ryan Crouser, and pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis who is a world champion and Diamond League champion with a world record. 100m and 200m world champion Noah Lyles is also among the competitors.

Double World champion Faith Kipyegon will also be against tough opponents.

At the Diamond League meeting in Florence in June, in just her second track race of the season, Kipyegon broke the world 1500m record with 3:49.11.

In Paris one week later, in just the third 5000m race of her career, Kipyegon broke the world record at that distance, to finish the course in 14:05.20.

One month later, at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco, she smashed the world record for the mile by five seconds, running 4:07.64.

Mixed results for Kenya as African Schools Football Championship CECAFA Qualifiers kick off

She successfully doubled up at the World Championships, winning the 1500m and 5000m winning gold in both events.

She capped her season with another global medal, bronze in the road mile, at the World Athletics Road Running Championships Riga 23.

The Golden Girl of Kenyan athletics is up against world marathon record holder Tigist Assefa of Ethiopia, world 200m champion Shericka Jackson of Jamaica, world 400m hurdles champion Femke Bol of the Netherlands, and world triple jump champion Yulimar Rojas of Venezuela.

19-year-olds world 800m silver medalist Emmanuel Wanyonyi and world 3000m steeplechase bronze medalist Faith Cherotich are among the finalists for the Rising Star Award.

Emmanuel Wanyonyi receives global nomination for Rising Star award

The five athletes, who represent five countries from four area associations, have achieved sensational performances across a range of athletics disciplines in 2023, winning titles and breaking world records at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23, one-day meeting circuits, label road races, and other events around the world.

The winners will join an elite list of names with the World Athlete of the Year award inaugurated in 1988.