By Jimmy
World Athletics (WA) has unveiled the names of nominees for Women’s Athlete of the Year 2023, and Nigerian track and field athlete Tobi Amusan, is missing from the list.
Amusan, who is the Nigerian, African and Commonwealth champion in the 100m hurdles, made history in 2022 when she became the first Nigerian athlete to be nominated for the honour.
Only three Africans were among the 11 nominees for the award excluding Tobi Amusan, who is arguably one of the most consistent female athletes in Africa.
The African athletes nominated for the award are Faith Kipyegon from Kenya, Tigist Assefa, and Gudaf Tsegay, both of whom are from Ethiopia.
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Tobi Amusan, who holds the women’s 100-meter hurdles world record, made history last year when she became the first Nigerian to be nominated for the Women’s World Athlete of The Year award. She, however, lost it to Sydney McLaughlin, who holds the 400-meter hurdles world record.
When Amusan won the women’s 100m hurdles last month in 12.33 seconds, she matched Dawn Nelson-Harper’s record and became just the second woman in Diamond League history to win three consecutive 100m hurdles championships.
However, following her failure to successfully defend her world title at Budapest 2023 World Championships, following the emotional trauma she went through over her provisional suspension for three Whereabouts Failures, it was glaring her successful Diamond League defence would not be enough to get into the World Athletics’s list unveiled.
The 11 nominees are headlined by five world record breakers, led by Kenya’s World 1500m and 5000m champion, Faith Kipyegon, who set three world records in 2023 in the 1500m, one mile and 5000m.
Others are Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa, who set a world marathon record and won the Berlin Marathon, flying Dutchwoman, Femke Bol, who set a world indoor record in the 400m flat and won the world title in the 400m hurdles and Maria Perez, 20km and 35km race walk world champion, who set a world record in 35km race walk.
Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay completes the list of world record holders among the nominees. The world 10,000m champion broke Kipyegon’s 5000m world record on her way to winning the event at the Diamond League final in Eugene, Oregon, USA.
Others listed are Shericka Jackson, the Jamaican world 200m champion and double sprint Diamond League winner; Japan’s world and Diamond League javelin champion, Haruka Kitaguchi, and Yaroslava Mahuchikh who won the high jump title in Budapest and Eugene.
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Also listed are world and Diamond League triple champion, Yulimar Rojas; Sha’Carri Richardson, the American who won the 100m title at the Worlds and Bahama’s Winfed Yavi, who won the 3000m steeplechase title in Budapest and Eugene.
While fans can vote online through World Athletics social media platforms, the World Athletics Council and World Athletics members will cast their ballots by email.
The voting process will end on the night of October 28, 2023. Afterward, the World Athletics will announce the finalists on November 13 and 14, and on December 11 the winners will be revealed on the World Athletics social media platforms.
