Kipchoge makes final IAAF awards list

September 16, 2018 Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge celebrates after winning the Berlin Marathon and breaking the World Record REUTERS

World marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge will battle for the World IAAF Male Athlete of the year award with American sprinter Christian Coleman and Paul Vault star Arman Duplantis of Sweden.   

Others named in the final list of five are 400m hurdles Abderrahman Samba of Qatar, heptathlon’s Kevn Mayer of France.

Kipchoge has a realistic chance of bagging the coveted prize.

Meanwhile, World Steeplechase record holder Beatrice Chepkoech has expressed confidence of emerging tops at the IAAF Gala set for December 4, in Monaco.

The 27-year-old won seven out of eight steeplechase finals including the IAAF Continental Cup, African Championships and IAAF Diamond League final. She also settled for silver at the Commonwealth Games.

She singled out Colombian Caterine Ibarguen and Shaunae Miller-Uibo of Bahamas as her main challengers for the prize.

Others on the list include Heptathlon’s Nafissatou Thiam of Belgium and Dina Asher-Smith of Great Britain, European champion and world leader in 100m, 200m and 4x100m.

“Ibarguen and Shaunae are my main challengers, but I have an upper hand having broken the world record," said Chepkoech. [Dennis Okeyo]