Up to six African track stars were nominated for this year’s Best Athletes Awards, according to the athletics’ governing body IAAF.
Here's how to vote Africans nominated for Athletics Awards
Fans can access the IAAF’s social media platforms to vote for their favorites among the nominees announced on Monday and Tuesday.
Athletes of the year will be announced live on stage at the World Athletics Awards 2019 in November.
Male Athlete of the Year
Kenyan athletes, Eluid Kipchoge and Timothy Cheruyiot and Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei are among the 11 nominees for the IAAF male athlete of the year,
Kipchoge on Saturday became the first man to run a marathon in less than two hours, finishing a special marathon in Vienna in one hour, 59 minutes and 40 seconds.
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Ten winners from the recent world athletics championships in Doha also are under consideration for the global honour including Americans Donovan Brazier (800m), Christian Coleman (100m), Sam Kendricks (pole vault), Noah Lyles (200m), and Christian Taylor (triple jump).
Cheptegei won the 10,000m race in Dohga and also holds the world cross country title. Bahamas’ Steven Gardiner (400m), Sweden’s Daniel Stahl (discus) and Norway’s Karsten Warholm (400m hurdles) are also nominated.
Female Athlete of the Year
Kenya’s marathon world record holder Brigid Kosgei, her compatriots Beatrice Chepkoech and Hellen Obiri were among 11 nominees for the IAAF female athlete of the year announced by IAAF on Tuesday.
25-year-old Kosgei finished the Chicago Marathon in two hours, 14 minutes and four seconds on Sunday to shatter Paula Radcliffe’s 16-year-old world record of 2:15:25, which the Briton had set in London.
Chepkoech won the 3000 metres steeplechase race at the recntly concluded World Championships in Doha, while Obiri won the 5000m event at the same championships.
Other world champions nominated included were Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (100m and 4×100m) and Briton Katarina Johnson-Thompson (heptathlon).
American Dalilah Muhammad, who earlier this month broke her own world record to win the women’s 400 metres hurdles title at the world championships with a time of 52.16 seconds, was also nominated for the global honour.
Sifan Hassan, Mariya Lasitskene, Malaika Mihambo, Salwa Eid Naser and Yulimar Rojas completed the list.
How to vote
A three-way voting process will determine the finalists, with the IAAF Council and the IAAF Family will cast their votes by email.
Fans on the other hand will cast their votes online on the IAAF’s social media platforms up to November 5.
‘‘Individual graphics for each nominee will be posted on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram this week; a ‘like’ on Facebook and Instagram or a retweet on Twitter will count as one vote.’‘
The IAAF Council’s vote will count for 50% of the result, while the IAAF Family’s votes and the public votes will each count for 25% of the final result.
When voting is done, five men and five women finalists will be announced by the IAAF, and the winners announced live on stage at the World Athletics Awards 2019 in November.