African star contenders for World Athlete of the Year Awards

The top two leading athletes in each category—track, field, and out of stadium—have been chosen from the first round of voting. The 2024 World Athletics Awards are set to honour the world's top athletes, and Africa has strong contenders in both the track and field events. The top two leading athletes in each category—track, field, and out of stadium—have been chosen from the first round of voting, which comprised votes from the World Athletics Council, the World Athletics Family, and a public vote on social media. Africa has been nominated in the Men’s Track Athlete of the Year, Women’s Out of Stadium Athlete of the Year, and Men’s Out of Stadium Athlete of the Year categories. Athlete profile Letsile Tebogo (Botswana) Tebogo is nominated for the Men’s Track Athlete of the Year Award. The 21-year-old sensation burst onto the scene with a historic 2024 Paris Olympic 200m gold medal and an African record. His speed and talent immediately captivated the world. Tebogo won the first Olympic gold medal in any sport for Botswana. Photo: World Athletics In winning the 200m title at the Paris Olympics, Letsile Tebogo claimed the first ever Olympic gold medal in any sport for Botswana. He ran an African record of 19.46—a time that moved him to fifth on the world all-time list—and that performance followed his sixth-place finish in the 100m final. He went on to form part of Botswana’s silver medal-winning men’s 4x400m team. Ruth Chepngetich (Kenya) The 30-year-old Kenyan road runner is nominated for the Women’s Out of Stadium Athlete of the Year Award. The marathon runner shattered world records and consistently delivered impressive performances, solidifying her position as one of the world's top distance runners. Chepngetich is a celebrated road runner. Photo: World Athletics Becoming the first woman to break 2:10 for 26.2 miles, she secured her third Chicago Marathon victory and a more than four-minute PB. Tamirat Tola (Ethiopia) The Ethiopian marathon runner claimed Olympic gold in a record-breaking time, showcasing his exceptional endurance and tactical prowess. Tamirat in track, road and cross-country events Photo: World Athletics He might have been called into the Ethiopian team for Paris as a late replacement, but Tamirat Tola made the very most of the opportunity as he won the marathon in an Olympic record of 2:06:26. Full list of nominees Women’s track athlete of the year Julien Alfred (Saint Lucia) – Olympic 100m champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA) – Olympic 400m hurdles champion Men’s track athlete of the year Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Norway) – Olympic 5000m champion Letsile Tebogo (Botwana) – Olympic 200m champion Women’s field athlete of the year Yaroslava Mahuchikh (Ukraine) – Olympic high jump champion Nafissatou Thiam (Belgium) – Olympic heptathlon champion Men’s field athlete of the year Mondo Duplantis (Sweden) – Olympic pole vault champion Miltiadis Tentoglou (Greece) – Olympic long jump champion Women’s Out of Stadium Athlete of the Year Ruth Chepngetich (Kenya) – world marathon record-holder Sifan Hassan (Netherlands) - Olympic marathon champion Men’s out of stadium athlete of the year Brian Pintado (Ecuador) – Olympic 20km race walk champion Tamirat Tola (Ethiopia) – Olympic marathon champion The Athletes of the Year in each category, as well as the overall winner, will be revealed at a ceremony in Monaco on Sunday, 1 December, as part of the World Athletics Awards 2024. ➤ Click here to follow our WhatsApp channel for more stories.