Chepkoech one step away from best athlete award
Athletics
By
Joan Letting and IAAF
| Nov 20, 2018
World steeplechase record holder Beatrice Chepkoech is among five finalists who will battle for this year's IAAF Female Athlete of the Year award.
Chepkoech is the only African who will be eyeing the award.
“I am so grateful to everyone who voted for me and helped me get to the top five. I am so happy and I hope I will win this,” she told The Standard Sports.
In July, Chepkoech, who competes for Kenya Police Service, smashed the world record crossing the finish line in 8:44.32.
She shaved more than eight seconds off the previous record of 8:52.78 that had been set by Ruth Jebet of Bahrain in the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Paris, in 2016.
The 27-year-old made history as the first Kenyan woman to hold the 3,000m steeplechase world record.
Chepkoech also ran off to win seven out of eight steeplechase finals including the Continental Cup, African Championships and Diamond League this year.
On May 31, she finished fifth in Roma Golden Gala - Pietro Mennea in Italy in 9:15.85 but her star was yet to shine.
In the 1,500m race, she came top in the second heat but was forced to settle for silver in the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in Australia.
The four others, who will hope to take home the trophy include; 200m and 4x100m relay sprinter Dina Asher-Smith from Great Britain, World lead and unbeaten in eight finals at triple jump Caterine Ibarguen (Colombia), 200m Commonwealth Games and Diamond League champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo (Bahrain) and World lead and unbeaten at heptathlon, Nafissatou Thiam (Belgium).
The male and female World Athletes of the Year will be announced in Monaco on December 4.
The male finalists will be announced today.
World marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge, 800m world’s fastest man since 2012 Emmanuel Korir and 1,500m World lead Timothy Cheruiyot are among the 10 nominees for the award and who hope to make the cut.