Athletics: 3 Africans Among the Athletes of the Year.
Kenyan middle-distance runner Faith Kipyegon, marathon record holders Kelvin Kiptum of Kenya and Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia were among the six “Athletes of the Year” honored in Monaco on Monday night by the International Athletics Federation (World Athletics) who also paid tribute to the marathon records that were broken this season.
World Athletics usually names a man and a woman as “Athlete of the Year“, but this year it decided to award more awards than usual, highlighting six athletes for their performances on the track, on the road and in field events.
The Nominees
Faith Kipyegon, 29, was crowned in the “padel” after breaking three athletics world records in 2023, in the 1.500 m (3 min 49 sec 11), mile (approximately 1.609 meters, in 4:07.64) and 5.000 m (14:05.20).
“It was a wonderful year.”
“I never expected to do what I did, break three world records and win two gold medals,” Kipyegon said.
At the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Faith Kipyegon also became the first woman to do the 1500/5000 double.
North American Noah Lyles, the fastest man in the world this year, was also honored in the “padel” after dominating the world race by winning the 100 m, 200 m and 4×100 m at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
“The 100 m was the most important because I always knew I was the fastest man on the planet, but no one would believe it without this title.”
The sprinter, more specialized in the 200 m, reacted.
Next year, the 26-year-old North American wants to win the Olympic gold that is missing from his CV, having already won six world titles in athletics and breaking the 200 m world record (19,19 seconds by Usain Bolt against a better mark personal 19,31).
Sweden's Mondo Duplantis, raised his pole vault world record to 6,23 m this year and Venezuela's Yulimar Rojas, world champion and world record holder in the triple jump (15m74 in 2022), were crowned in the “field event".
Kelvin Kiptum from Kenya and Tigst Assefa from Ethiopia were rewarded in the “estrada” for his stratospheric world athletics records in the marathon, with 2:00:35 and 2:11:53, respectively. Kiptum aims to run even faster and get closer to the mythical two-hour barrier in the Rotterdam marathon (Netherlands) in April next year.
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Picture: © 2023 Filippo Monteforte / Getty Images
