Faith Kipyegon nominated for 2023 World Female Athlete Of The Year award

Two time Olympic champion over 1500m and holder of two track World Records Faith Kipyegon, is among a group of 11 female athletes who were on Wednesday 11 October nominated by World Athletics for the 2023 World Athlete of the Year award.

The nominations will pave the way for this year’s World Athletics Awards 2023, whose winners will be announced in December.

Kipyegon had a remarkable track season this year, and one that saw her become the only woman to win the 1500m and 5000m World titles; a feat she achieved in the recent World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

By doing that, she also set history in winning three World Championship titles in the 1500m - 2017, 2022 and 2023.

Before that, the 29 year old had in a span of seven days in June set two World Records in the women’s 1500m and 5000m.

In Florence on 2 June, Kipyegon broke Genzebe Dibaba’s mark to win the 1500m in a record time of 3:49.11 and ran a blistering 14:05.20 in the Paris Diamond League for the 5000m record - one that was later usurped by Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay - who ran 14:00.21 in the Eugene Diamond League meeting.

Budapest23: Star girl, Kipyegon, delivers historic double with 5000m victory

Kipyegon, in addition to winning bronze in the World Road Running Championships in Riga last month, broke the women’s mile world record when she timed 4:07.64 in the Monaco Diamond League.

Standing in her way to clinching what could be her first World Athlete of the Year award, will be world 3000m steeplechase and Diamond League champion Winfred Yavi, Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa who recently broke the women’s world marathon record in Berlin, and the aforementioned Tsegay.

Other notable names include world 100m champion Sha’Carri Richardson, Diamond League 100m and 200m champion Shericka Jackson, and World 400m hurdles champion Femke Bol.

Venezuelan Yulimar Rojas (triple jump world champion, Diamond Trophy winner), Spanish racewalker Maria Perez (20km, 35 km world champion and 45 km world record holder), Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh (high jump world champion and Diamond Trophy winner) and Haruka Kitaguchi of Japan (javelin world champion, Diamond Trophy winner) are also on the list.

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 50% of the result, while the World Athletics Family’s votes and the public votes will each count for 25% 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.