World Athletics awarded this season’s best athletes in the world on Monday December 5. Like last year, no African was lucky enough to win an award. The American Sydney McLaughlin (world record 400m jumping) and the American-Swedish Mondo Duplantis (world record pole vaulting) were named athletes of the year.
In the women’s category, the only African finalist of this edition was the young Nigerian Tobi Amusan, holder of the world record in the 100m hurdles (12.12s). The other nominees were Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce from Jamaica, who won her fifth world title in 100m, and the Peruvian Kimberly Garcia, who won the world titles in 20km and 35km.
World Athlete of the Year 👑 @GoSydGo 🇺🇸 is your World Athlete of the Year 👏
McLaughlin-Levrone broke the world 400m hurdles record on two occasions and won two gold medals at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon.#AthleticsAwards pic.twitter.com/g4u74AOFrh
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) December 5, 2022
Among the men, the other finalists were Moroccan Soufiane El Bakkali, (world champion in the 3000 m steeplechase), Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge (improved marathon world record) and Norwegian runner Jacob Ingebrigtsen (world champion in 5000 m outdoor). In the younger age group, Erriyon Knighton won the Rising Star award for the best U20 athlete for the second time in a row.
