Newly minted marathon world record holder Eliud Kipchoge and world champions Mundo Duplantis and Noah Lyles make up a star-studded list of nominees for the Men’s World Athlete of the Year 2022.
World Athletics announced the shortlist of 10 strong nominees on Thursday (October 13), a day after unveiling world record holders Tobi Amusan, Sydney McLaughlin and Yulimar Rojas among the ten athletes nominated for Women’s World Athlete of the Year 2022.
Besides winning world titles at the World Championships in Oregon, some of the shortlisted track and field athletes also starred at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade, the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, various continental championships, and the Diamond League series.
The winners of what should be a very competitive year for the top awards will be announced after a three-way voting process by the World Athletics Council, the World Athletics Family, and the public.
Voting for the World Athletes of the Year closes on Monday 31 October. At the conclusion of the voting process, five female and five male finalists will be announced by the governing body ahead of the World Athletics Awards in December.
The nominees for the Men’s World Athlete of the Year 2022 are:
Kristjan Ceh, Slovenia
Ceh struck gold in Oregon with a championship record throw of 71.13m, then added and followed it up with another event record of 69.06m where he took silver.
The Diamond League discus champion also set a national record with his monster throw of 71.27m in Birmingham.
Alison dos Santos, Brazil
Dos Santos was in fantastic form as he raced to his first ever World 400m hurdles title in 42.29, a world-leading South American record, before taking the Diamond League 400m hurdles Trophy.
Mondo Duplantis, Sweden
Duplantis earned his fist world titles in dominant fashion.
After winning the world pole vault indoor title, adding a centimeter to his indoor world record of 6.19m, he broke his own world record outdoors too as he claimed his first world title in Oregon. He improved his mark to 6.21m.
He then added the European pole vault gold and ended on another high taking the Diamond League pole vault trophy.
Soufiane El Bakkali, Morocco
El Bakkali was unbeaten over the 3000m steeplechase this season which he opened on the world stage with a brilliant world lead of 7:58.28 in Rabat. He won his first world title before rounding off this great season as a Diamond League 3000m steeplechase champion.
Grant Holloway, USA
Holloway began his 2022 campaign with 60m hurdles gold before thrilling the home crowd in Oregon winning the world 110m hurdles title. He had a brilliant Diamond League series which he capped off as the Diamond League 110m hurdles champion.
READ MORE: Grant Holloway on his next hurdle: “When they talk about the greatest of all-time, I want it to be me”
Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Norway
Ingebrigsten was the man to beat in the men's 1500m and 5000m races. He bagged silver at the world indoors in the shorter race. He was one of a handful of athletes who bagged double medals in Oregon, the world 5000m gold and silver over 1500m.
His double gold in the 1500m and the 5000m lit up the Munich track at the Euros. His season ended on a high as a Diamond League 1500m champion in a world-leading 3:29.02.
Eliud Kipchoge, Kenya
Kipchoge confirmed his legendary status with his second career marathon world record in Berlin of 2:01:09, which was 30 seconds faster than his 2018 winning time. His fourth Berlin Marathon title was his second win this year after running the fastest time ever at the Tokyo Marathon.
READ MORE: Eliud Kipchoge: The Top 10 marathons of the double Olympic champion
Noah Lyles, USA
Noah Lyles dashed to a stunning 19.31 seconds, an American record when he won the 200m title at the World Athletics Championships, a time that also moved him to third on the world all-time list. He's also the reigning Diamond League 200m champion.
Anderson Peters, Grenada
Defending his world title in Oregon was the standout moment of Peters’ season that also included a world-leading javelin throw of 93.07m, that moved him to fifth in the all-time list. The Grenadian also earned his second Commonwealth Games medal, a silver, in Birmingham.
READ MORE: World champ Anderson Peters: The possibility is what motivates me
Pedro Pichardo, Portugal
Pichardo, who won the world triple jump title with a world-leading leap of 17.95m, added European gold to his accolades in Munich. He had opened the season as a world indoor triple jump silver medallist
READ MORE: Pedro Pichardo: I am working to break Jonathan Edwards' world record
The nominees for the Women’s World Athlete of the Year 2022 are:
Tobi Amusan, Nigeria
Amusan is the world 100m hurdles champion, and the Diamond League, Commonwealth and African 100m hurdles champion. Amusan also dashed to the 100m hurdles world record of 12.12 seconds in Oregon.
READ MORE: How Tobi Amusan moved from nearly quitting athletics and being "depressed for weeks” to being the world’s fastest 100m hurdler ever
Chase Ealey, USA
Ealey, the first American to win the women's shot put title at a World Athletics Championships is also the 2022 world indoor silver medallist. She wound up her season with the Diamond League shot put trophy. She set a personal best of 20.51m at the U.S. Nationals, which is also a world leading throw for the season.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Jamaica
The fastest woman in the world this year won her fifth women's 100m gold medal at the Championships. Fraser-Pryce then ran a huge world-leading 10.62 seconds at the Monaco Diamond League. Even more impressive is that the Jamaican, who is also the Diamond League 100m champion, became the first woman in history to break 10.70 races seven times in the same season. She also picked up world silvers in the 200m and 4x100m relays.
READ MORE: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce: “Motherhood doesn’t diminish your capabilities”
Kimberly Garcia, Peru
Garcia put Peru on the World Athletics map with double race walk gold medals at the World Athletics Championships.
She won her nation’s first ever World Athletics Championships medal in the women’s 20km race walk. Then added the 35km race walk title in a South American record to complete an amazing double. She also helped her team to bronze at the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships.
Shericka Jackson, Jamaica
The second Jamaican in the nomination list, Jackson ran the second fastest time in history of 21.45 to win the 200m gold in Oregon. The world leader is also the Diamond League 200m champion.
Faith Kipyegon, Kenya
Kipyegon won her second World 1500m title and added the Diamond League trophy in the same distance shortly after, lowering her own national record to 3:50.37, that is just three tenths of a second off the world record.
READ MORE: Faith Kipyegon on her quest to be the fastest 1500m runner: ‘I want to be a superstar’
Yaroslava Mahuchikh, Ukraine
The Ukrainian won an emotional high jump gold at the World Indoor Championships in Serbia. She had to endure a three-day road trip from her war-torn nation to the world indoors and remained focus despite the difficult situation back home to take silver at the worlds in Oregon. She also equalled the outdoor national best with her jump of 2.05m in Brussels, just weeks after clinching the European high hump gold.
Sydney McLaughlin, USA
McLaughlin ended her season with double gold in the 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay. She bettered her own world 400m hurdles record twice this season. The American track star sped to 51.41 at the U.S. championships and further improved the world record to 50.68 on her way to gold in Oregon.
READ MORE: Sydney McLaughlin: Most asked questions about 400m hurdles Olympic champion and world record holder
Shaunae Miller-Uibo, Bahamas
Miller-Uibo finally upgraded her two world silvers with the 400m gold at the Worlds. She is also the world indoor 400m champion and the NACAC 400m champion.
Yulimar Rojas, Venezuela
Rojas improved her world triple jump record to 15.74m in Belgrade where she retained the world indoor title before dominating at the World Championships where she won her third global outdoor title. She wrapped up the season as the Diamond League triple jump champion.
READ MORE: Yulimar Rojas: Top things to know about the world champion triple jumper
How to vote for Athlete of the Year 2022
According to World Athletics, "fans can vote online via the World Athletics social media platforms. Individual graphics for each nominee will be posted on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube this week; a 'like' on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube or a retweet on Twitter will count as one vote."
The fan vote comprises 25% of the total, with the World Athletics Council vote making 50% and the World Athletics Family counting for the other 25%.
Voting closes at midnight on Monday 31 October.
