Eliud Kipchoge headlines IAAF awards shortlist

What you need to know:

  • Kipchoge will battle four other world beaters from 2018 season for the top award.
  • They are American 100m sprinter Christian Coleman, pole vaulter Armand Duplantis from Sweden and decathlon athlete Kevin Mayer of France (France).
  • The other is the 400m hurdler Abderrahman Samba from Qatar.
  • Besides breaking the world record, Kipchoge won the London Marathon in 2:04:17.

World marathon record-holder Eliud Kipchoge is now the only remaining Kenya athlete among the five finalists for the 2018 Male World Athlete of the Year.

Kipchoge, who set a new World marathon with a new time of 2 hours, 01 minute and 39 second when he retained his Berlin Marathon title on September 16 this year, will battle four other world beaters from 2018 season for the top award.

They are American 100m sprinter Christian Coleman, pole vaulter Armand Duplantis from Sweden and decathlon athlete Kevin Mayer of France (France).

The other is the 400m hurdler Abderrahman Samba from Qatar.

Kipchoge’s compatriots, the 2018 Diamond League winners Timothy Cheruiyot (1,500m) and Emmanuel Korir (800m), failed to make the final five.

Besides breaking the world record, Kipchoge won the London Marathon in 2:04:17.

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 12 November.

The male and female World Athletes of the Year will be announced live on stage at the IAAF Athletics Awards 2018 on December 4 in Monaco.

Kipchoge will be seeking to become he second Kenyan athlete to win the award after the current World 800m record holder David Rudisha, who claimed it 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 is seeking to become the first Kenyan woman to lift the award.

The finalists are (in alphabetical order):

Eliud Kipchoge (KEN)

- London Marathon champion

- Berlin Marathon champion with the biggest improvement on a men’s marathon world record since 1967

Christian Coleman (USA)

- World indoor record and world indoor champion at 60m

- World lead and IAAF Diamond League champion at 100m

Armand Duplantis (SWE)

- European champion at pole vault with a world-leading height

- World U20 champion
- Eight world U20 records or bests, indoors and out

Kevin Mayer (FRA)

- World indoor champion at heptathlon

- World record at decathlon

Abderrahman Samba (QAT)

- World lead and unbeaten in nine finals at 400m hurdles, setting the world’s quickest time since 1992

- Asian Games champion at 400m hurdles and 4x400m

- IAAF Continental Cup winner

- Asian indoor 4x400m champion