Chepkoech in final five for IAAF Female Athlete of the Year award

Kenya's Beatrice Chepkoech competes in the women's 3000m steeplechase at the 2017 IAAF World Championships at the London Stadium in London on August 9, 2017.PHOTO | BEN STANSALL | AFP

What you need to know:

  • Chepkoech, who is the Continental Cup and Africa 3,000m steeplechase champion, will now battle Great Britain’s sprinter Dina Asher-Smith and triple/long jumper Caterine Ibarguen from Colombia for the award

  • Also making it through to the final five is another sprinter Shaunae Miller-Uibo from Bahamas and heptathlon athlete Nafissatou Thiam of Belgium, who won it in 2017

  • The current World 800m record holder David Rudisha is the only Kenyan athlete to have won the award in 2010

World 3,000m steeplechase record holder Kenya’s Beatrice Chepkoech has made it to the final five athletes vying for the 2018 IAAF Female Athlete of the Year award.

Chepkoech, who is the Continental Cup and Africa 3,000m steeplechase champion, will now battle Great Britain’s sprinter Dina Asher-Smith and triple/long jumper Caterine Ibarguen from Colombia for the award.

Also making it through to the final five is another sprinter Shaunae Miller-Uibo from Bahamas and heptathlon athlete Nafissatou Thiam of Belgium, who won it in 2017.

A statement from International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) said the five athletes, who represent five countries from four Area associations, have illustrated excellence across nearly all athletics disciplines in 2018.

A three-way voting process determined the finalists.

The IAAF Council and the IAAF Family cast their votes by email, while fans voted online via the IAAF's social media platforms. The IAAF Council’s vote counted for 50% of the result, while the IAAF Family’s votes and the public votes each counted for 25% of the final result. Voting closed on November 12.

The male and female World Athletes of the Year will be announced at the IAAF Athletics Awards gala on December 4 in Monaco.

The current World 800m record holder David Rudisha is the only Kenyan athlete to have won the award in 2010.

Chepkoech has simply been phenomenal this season. She won the 1,500m race at the national trials before settling for silver in the metric mile race at Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in personal best 4:03.09.

Chepkoech went back to her specialty, the 3,000m steeplechase where she won the National Championships in 9:23.73 before going for the Africa title in a Championship Record time of 8:59.88 on August 5 in Asaba, Nigeria.

Chepkoech won four of her five Diamond League races this season with her victory in Monaco on July 20 producing a World Record time of 8:44.32, making her the first woman run under 8 minute and 50 seconds.

She shattered Ruth Jebet’s (Bahrain) previous record (8:52.78) by massive nine seconds.

She also won Shanghai (9:07.27), Paris (8:59.36) and Brussels (8:55.10) where she got to claim her first Diamond League Trophy setting the stage for her World Cup victory in 9:07.92 in Ostrava, Czech.

The male finalists will be announced November 20.

World marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge is among three Kenyan athletes nominated for the 2018 Male World Athlete of the Year.

Kipchoge, who set a new World marathon with new times of 2 hours, 01 minute and 39 second when retaining his Berlin Marathon title on September 16 this year, has been nominated alongside 2018 Diamond League winners Timothy Cheruiyot (1,500m) and Emmanuel Korir (800m).

Beatrice Chepkoech (KEN)

- World steeplechase record by eight seconds, backed up by the third-quickest mark of all time

- Winner of seven out of eight steeplechase finals including the IAAF Continental Cup, African Championships and IAAF Diamond League final

- Commonwealth Games silver at 1500m

Dina Asher-Smith (GBR)

- European champion and world leader at 100m, 200m and 4x100m

- Second over 100m in the IAAF Diamond League final and IAAF Continental Cup

- Commonwealth Games 4x100m gold and 200m bronze

Caterine Ibarguen (COL)

- IAAF Continental Cup winner, IAAF Diamond League champion and Central American and Caribbean champion at both long jump and triple jump

- World lead and unbeaten in eight finals at triple jump

Shaunae Miller-Uibo (BAH)

- Unbeaten across five events in 15 races (13 finals and 2 preliminaries), including a 200m/4x100m double at the IAAF Continental Cup

- World lead and three wins at 400m with the world’s fastest time since 2006

- Commonwealth Games and IAAF Diamond League champion at 200m

- World bests at indoor 300m and 150m straight

Nafissatou Thiam (BEL)

- European champion, world lead and unbeaten at heptathlon

- World number three at high jump