Dennis Kimetto & Genzebe Dibaba in final IAAF World Athlete shortlist
New world marathon record holder, Dennis Kimetto’s incredible year could have the glorious ending of being named the IAAF World Male Athlete of the Year after he made the shortlisted final three on Friday.
He is up against French Pole vault sensation, Renaud Lavillenie and Qatari High jumper Mutaz Barshim.
In the women’s World Athlete of the Year final shortlist, Africa’s interests will be on the shoulders of Genzebe Dibaba (Ethiopia), the World Indoor 1500m champion who broke three world records in the closed circuit in March before bagging the Continental Cup and IAAF Diamond League honours.
Genzebe is hoping to upstage her decorated elder sibling, Tirunesh who won the Outstanding Performance awards at the 2005 and 2008 galas without bagging the major prize.
Shot putter Valarie Adams of New Zealand and Dutch 200m Continental Cup champion Dafne Schippers of the Netherlands complete the shortlist.
The finalists were selected after a two-week-long poll of the world athletics family.
The Council of the International Athletics Foundation will select the male and female winners, with the announcement taking place live on stage during the 2014 World Athletics Gala in Monaco on Friday 21 November 2014.
The finalists for the World Athlete of the Year Award are (in alphabetical order):
Men
Mutaz Essa Barshim (Qatar)
Dennis Kipruto Kimetto (Kenya)
Renaud Lavillenie (France)
Women
Valerie Adams (New Zealand)
Genzebe Dibaba (Ethiopia)
Dafne Schippers (Netherlands)
*World athletics family: IAAF & IAF Council members; IAAF national member federations; IAAF Committee & Commission members; IAAF meeting directors; IAAF athlete ambassadors; athletes’ representatives; top athletes; members of the international press; IAAF staff members and the IAAF’s official partners.
