Thaindian News

Monaco, Oct 4 (IANS/CMC) World 400 metres champion Kirani James of Grenada and Jamaican sprint sensation Usain Bolt have been shortlisted for the World Athlete of the Year award by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

The governing body announced Tuesday the names of 10 men and 10 women that made the shortlist with the winners to be announced Nov 12.

James won the gold at the World Championships in South Korea last month with a personal best of 44.60 seconds and also became the youngest World 400 metres champion at the age of 18.

About one week later, he secured an IAAF Diamond League victory in a new personal best of 44.36 secs.

The list also includes Jamaican sprinters Bolt and Yohan Blake on the men’s side, and Veronica Campbell-Brown on the women’s.

Blake won the World 100 metres title, following Bolt’s disqualification and ran the second-fastest 200 of all time of 19.26 in the Diamond League meeting in Brussels.

Bolt did not set the World on fire with his performances this year and stunned the World when he was disqualified for the first time in his professional career in the 100 metres in Daegu. He still produced some nifty times this season to maintain his status as the man-to-beat.

Campbell-Brown overcame strong American rivals Carmelita Jeter and Allyson Felix to win the women’s 200 metres at the World Championships. She however, had to settle for the silver behind Jeter in the 100 metres.

Campbell also handed Jeter one of her rare defeats during the season in the 100 metres, when she ran a personal best 10.78 to win at the Prefontaine Classic in the American town of Eugene in the state of Oregon.

Also included on the men’s short-list are Britain’s Mo Farah, who won the 5,000 metres and claimed silver in the 10,000m at the World Championships, Kenya’s marathon World record holder Patrick Makau, middle-distance runner David Rudisha, German discus thrower Robert Harting and Japanese hammer thrower Koji Murofushi.

American triple-jumper Christian Taylor and compatriot Jesse Williams, who competes in the high jump, also made the shortlist.

The women’s list includes heptathlete Tatyana Chernova, who beat Jessica Ennis to claim gold in the World Championships.

She is joined by two fellow Russians, high jumper Anna Chicherova and javelin thrower Maria Abakumova, American duo Lashinda Demus, as well as Carmelita Jeter and New Zealand shot-putter Valerie Adams.

Kenyan long distance runner Vivian Cheruiyot, Botswanan 400m runner Amantle Montsho, who won her country’s first ever gold medal at the World Championships, and Australian sprint hurdler Sally Pearson complete the shortlist.

The 10 men and 10 women have been selected by an IAAF panel of eight experts with the winners to be decided by an email poll involving the World athletics family beginning Monday and closing Sunday, Oct 23.

At the conclusion of the voting process, three men and three women will be selected and announced by the IAAF.

The Council of the International Athletics Foundation will then select the men and women from the finalists, with the announcement taking place during the 2011 World Athletics Gala next month.

–IANS/CMC
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