Ugandan runner Jacob Kiplimo will not advance as a finalist for the Men’s Out of Stadium Athlete of the Year award.
World Athletics announced the final contenders, with Ecuador’s Brian Pintado and Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola taking the top spots in this competitive category.
Kiplimo won gold at the World Cross Country Championships and triumphed in the Valencia 10km race but narrowly missed out on the finalists after falling short on votes.
Pintado and Tola’s advancements come after a rigorous first round of voting, drawing on the input of the World Athletics Council, World Athletics Family, and public votes on social media.
Pintado, the Olympic 20km race walk champion, and Tola, who took home the Olympic marathon title, both exhibited consistent dominance in their respective disciplines, earning their places in the finals.
For the Women’s Out of Stadium category, Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya, holder of the world marathon record, and Olympic marathon champion Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands secured their finalist spots.
Both women have set extraordinary benchmarks in endurance running, making them top picks for this year’s honours.
Finalists were also announced in track and field categories. The contenders include Olympic champions Julien Alfred (100m) and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (400m hurdles) for the Women’s Track Athlete of the Year, while Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen (5000m) and Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo (200m) lead the Men’s Track category.
In the field events, high jump champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh of Ukraine, pole vault sensation Mondo Duplantis of Sweden, and others are set to compete for the year’s top recognition.
Fans now have a final opportunity to cast votes between November 4 and 10 to help determine the ultimate Athlete of the Year, with the winners set to be honored in Monaco on December 1.
