Vote for Kipchoge and Faith

Faith Kipyegon celebrates after winning Olympic 1500m gold in Tokyo. Below: Eliud Kipchoge on his way to winning the Olympic marathon gold in Tokyo. [Reuters]

Faith Chepngétich Kipyegon and Eliud Kipchoge, the duo two-time Olympic champions, are among nominees for World Athlete of the Year awards set for December.

Kipyegon, the world 1500m champion, retained her 1500m title at the Tokyo Olympic Games and spiced it up with Diamond League 1500m Trophy as well as setting a new Kenyan 1500m record.

Kipyegon reacted on her Facebook wall: “So grateful. Guys, you can vote through the World Athletics page. Thank you so much everyone.”

The voting process for the 2021 World Athletes of the Year is underway. By last evening, Kipyegon had 12000 votes while Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan had garnered 14000.

World Athletics announced a list of 10 nominees for Female World Athlete of the Year who were selected by an international panel of athletics experts, comprising representatives from all six continental areas of World Athletics.

The nominations reflect the remarkable range of exceptional performances that the sport has witnessed this year, at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, one-day meeting circuits and other events around the world.

Barnaba Korir, AK executive member, said the two Kenyans stand high chances.

“We call on all our fans across the globe to vote for them. They deserve the awards. By chance both of them win, we will be proud as a country. The nominees have done their part, it is now our part to support them by voting,” said Korir.

Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge celebrates after winning gold medal in men's marathon at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, yesterday morning. [AP]

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, Twitter and Instagram this week; a ‘like’ on Facebook and Instagram or a retweet on Twitter 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.