Gennadii Zuiev has been named as the recipient of the Coaching Achievement Award, the first winner to be announced as part of the World Athletics Awards 2022.
Despite the conflict in their home country of Ukraine, Zuiev continued to guide high jumper Andriy Protsenko to world and European medals in 2022, also working with other athletes to overcome the difficulties they faced.
A former national level high jumper himself, Zuiev turned to coaching in 1999 and started working with a 13-year-old Protsenko a few years later. Protsenko was a sprinter at the time, but Zuiev encouraged him to try the high jump and the 34-year-old has gone on to become a multiple world and European medallist, who has a PB of 2.40m.
Protsenko&rsquo;s most recent achievements are the bronze he claimed at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 and the medal of the same colour he won at the European Championships in Munich. 
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 Zuiev and Protsenko both live in the Kherson region of Ukraine and Protsenko spent around five weeks under the Russian occupation in March and April. Improvising with home-made equipment, he was still able to train and their hard work paid off when Protsenko made the podium in Oregon and Munich.
&ldquo;This award is a big surprise for me, but I&rsquo;m really satisfied and I&rsquo;m glad that the work of Andriy and I was highly regarded by World Athletics,&rdquo; said Zuiev.
&ldquo;We tried to keep fit, as we realised that the only thing we could do was to continue our routine job, aiming to prepare for international competitions as best as possible. Certainly, it was crazy difficult. It is difficult to even think about training and competition when there is a war in your own country. These thoughts haunted us constantly.
&ldquo;The world bronze medal is as good as gold for me and Andriy, especially taking into account what he had to overcome on the road to get it.&rdquo;
As well as guiding world-class athletes, Zuiev has delivered a number of seminars for Ukrainian coaches and in 2018 and 2019 he shared his two decades of experience as part of presentations on the topic of &lsquo;long term development of a world class high jumper&rsquo;.
The Coaching Achievement Award is the first of 10 honours celebrated as part of the World Athletics Awards 2022. Further announcements will be made in the coming days, ahead of the World Athletes of the Year and Rising Stars being revealed on Monday 5 December.
World Athletics

Despite the conflict in their home country of Ukraine, Zuiev continued to guide high jumper Andriy Protsenko to world and European medals in 2022

Zuiev receives Coaching Achievement Award

Ahead of the World Athletics Awards 2022, a digital exhibition has been created featuring the 26 images shortlisted for World Athletics Photograph of the Year.
From the 110 images that were submitted, a panel of judges &ndash; comprising Valerie Adams, Raquel Cavaco Nunes, Ivo Gonzalez, Renaud Lavillenie and Pascal Rondeau &ndash; selected the below 26 shortlisted images and then the three finalists.
The <a href="https://worldathletics.org/awards/news/2022-world-athletics-photograph-finalists" target="_blank" rel="noopener">finalists were announced on 12 November</a> and the winning photograph will be revealed on World Athletics&rsquo; social media platforms on 2 December, as part of the World Athletics Awards 2022. 
<h2>Digital exhibition of shortlisted images </h2>
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/637e2e6c2744e5fecedc7caa.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />Grant Holloway of USA strides away from the chasing pack while competing in the men's 60m hurdles semifinals during day three of the World Athletics Indoor Championships at the Stark Arena in Belgrade, Serbia Photo by Sam Barnes, Sportsfile 
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<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/637e30ef2744e5fecedc7ce0.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />Netherlands&rsquo; Rutger Koppelaar in action during the men's pole vault final at the European Championships in Munich 2022 Photo by Christian Bruna, EPA-EFE
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<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/637e30ce2744e5fecedc7cdd.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />Shaunae Miller-Uibo of The Bahamas rounds the final turn in her 400m race at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 Photo by Jeff Cohen
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<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/637e31c65b75f9116d7f21f4.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />Jamaica&rsquo;s Shericka Jackson crosses the finish line as 200m champion at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 Photo by Solene Decosta
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<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/637e2ec12744e5fecedc7cb3.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />Korea's world indoor gold medallist Woo Sanghyeok celebrates after clearing 2.33m in the high jump at the Wanda Diamond League in Doha Photo by Vinod Divakaran, Inside Qatar
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<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/637e2dbd2744e5fecedc7c9e.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />World record-holder Barbora Spotakova competes in the javelin throw at the Czech Championships in Hodonin Photo by Eduard Erben, Czech Photo Agency
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<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/637e30a02744e5fecedc7cd7.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />Spectators react as Swedish pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis breaks his own world record by jumping 6.21m at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 Photo by Alberto Estevez, Agencia Efe
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<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/637e2f002744e5fecedc7cb9.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />The track and sky colour match during the women&rsquo;s 800m final at the European Championships in Munich Photo by Quentin Felden
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<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/637e31325b75f9116d7f21f1.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />Netherlands' Rutger Koppelaar competes in the men's pole vault final during the European Championships in Munich Photo by Andrej Isakovic, Agence France-Presse
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<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/637e2e4c2744e5fecedc7ca7.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />Belgian Nafissatou Thiam pictured in action during the long jump competition, part of the women's heptathlon, at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 Photo by Jasper Jacobs
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<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/637e306e2744e5fecedc7cd1.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />Switzerland&rsquo;s Ditaji Kambundji after her fall in the 60m hurdles final at the World Indoor Championships Belgrade 22 Photo by Tobias Lackner
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<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/637e30b72744e5fecedc7cda.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />Runners race over the water jump in the steeplechase during the 62nd Mt. San Antonio College Relays in Walnut, California Photo by Kirby Lee
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<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/637e2edc2744e5fecedc7cb6.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />Captain Sweden, Mondo Duplantis, after his six metre jump during the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Lausanne Photo by Chiara Montesano, Vinco Sport
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<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/637e31175b75f9116d7f21ee.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />A tero, a typical bird of South America, stands on the track as Jamaica and USA race to the finish line during the women&rsquo;s 4x100m relay final at the World U20 Championships Cali 22 Photo by Oscar Munoz Badilla, fotografiadeportiva
&nbsp;
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/637e2ea42744e5fecedc7cb0.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />Jereem Richards of Trinidad and Tobago celebrates after winning gold in the final of the men's 200m at the Commonwealth Games at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham, England Photo by Phil Noble, Reuters
&nbsp;
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/637e2f182744e5fecedc7cbc.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />Concentration, focus, determination: Germany&rsquo;s Kristin Pudenz en route to silver in the women&rsquo;s discus at the European Championships in Munich Photo by Klaus Peters
&nbsp;
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/637e2f9c2744e5fecedc7cc2.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />Mondo Duplantis of Sweden celebrates after setting a world record and winning gold in the men's pole vault final at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 Photo by Christian Petersen, Getty Images
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<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/637e2fd12744e5fecedc7cc8.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />&lsquo;Somewhere over the rainbow&rsquo;: Netherlands' Rutger Koppelaar in action during the men's pole vault final at the European Championships in Munich Photo by Kai Pfaffenbach, Reuters
&nbsp;
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/637e2de22744e5fecedc7ca1.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />Abigail Irozuru of Team England takes part in a practice jump for the women's long jump final at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games at Alexander Stadium Photo by David Ramos, Getty Images
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<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/637e2f582744e5fecedc7cbf.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />Germany's Lea Meyer falls headfirst into the water while competing in the women's 3000m steeplechase on day two of the World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field in Oregon, USA Photo by Martin Rickett, PA Media
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<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/637e2ff82744e5fecedc7ccb.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />Andreas Hofmann in action during javelin throw qualification at the European Championships in Munich Photo by Felix Sanchez Arrazola, fotorunners.es
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<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/637e2fb12744e5fecedc7cc5.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />USA&rsquo;s Noah Lyles celebrates winning gold in the men's 200m final at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 Photo by Ezra Shaw, Getty Images
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<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/637e30892744e5fecedc7cd4.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />Sweden&rsquo;s Mondo Duplantis celebrates his world record during the men&rsquo;s pole vault final at the World Athletics Championship Oregon22 Photo by Pawel Skraba, Super Express Media Group
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<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/637e2e132744e5fecedc7ca4.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />Germany's Lea Meyer falls as she competes in the women's 3000m steeplechase heats during the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 Photo by Ben Stansall, Agence France-Presse
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<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/637e2e882744e5fecedc7cad.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />Sasha Zhoya breaks the last barrier in the 110m hurdles final at the Munich 2022 European Championships Photo by Matthieu Tourault, Mattphot Photography
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<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/637e30372744e5fecedc7cce.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />Australia&rsquo;s Kurtis Marschall competes during the men&rsquo;s pole vault qualification at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 Photo by Morgan Treacy

A digital exhibition has been created featuring the 26 images shortlisted for World Athletics Photograph of the Year

Digital exhibition: 2022 World Athletics Photograph of the Year shortlisted images

As the World Athletics Awards 2022 draws near, we shine a spotlight on the finalists for the World Athlete of the Year awards.
The World Athletes of the Year will be announced on World Athletics&rsquo; social media platforms in early December, as part of the World Athletics Awards 2022. 
<h2>Yulimar Rojas</h2>
Based purely on her margins of victory and her winning streak, Yulimar Rojas is arguably the most dominant athlete in any event right now.
And given her impact on the world all-time lists and her ever-growing list of accolades, she can lay claim to being the greatest ever exponent in the women&rsquo;s triple jump.
Even before 2022 began, the 27-year-old had already achieved all there is to win in the sport &ndash; Olympic gold, world titles indoors and out, as well as her world records indoors and outdoors. But the Venezuelan, clearly as motivated as ever, continued to improve in 2022 as she added two more global titles to her already impressive collection.
Her season opener hinted at what the year would have in store. She won at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Madrid with 15.41m, the second-best indoor jump in history and just two centimetres shy of her own world indoor record.
But the standout moment of her year came 18 days later at the World Indoor Championships Belgrade 22, just her second competition of 2022, where she won her third successive title in an outright world record of 15.74m, adding seven centimetres to the world record she set when winning Olympic gold in Tokyo last year.
Despite some minor injury concerns delaying the start to her outdoor season, Rojas&rsquo;s undefeated streak continued when she resumed competition in June. 
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 She then went on to win her third consecutive outdoor world title in Oregon with a world-leading 15.47m.
Having achieved her major goals for the year, Rojas recorded three more victories at the end of the season, all of them beyond 15 metres. She won in Monaco with 15.01m, then dominated in Lausanne with 15.31m before wrapping up her season with victory at the Wanda Diamond League final (15.28m). 
<h2>Noah Lyles</h2>
From May until September, Noah Lyles simply did not slow down over 200m.
The US sprinter was undefeated in his specialist event this year, breaking 20 seconds in all 12 of his races over the distance, including heats and finals.
His season opener of 19.86 in Clermont was followed 12 days later with a marginally wind-aided 19.72 victory at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Doha. One month later, he clocked 19.61 to win at the Continental Tour Gold meeting in New York.
He was pushed by rising sprint star Erriyon Knighton at the US Championships, but Lyles still emerged victorious, winning in 19.67 to the teenager&rsquo;s 19.69. His next focus was defending his title at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22.
Lyles did not disappoint. And despite it being the World Championships final, Lyles produced one of his most dominant runs of the year to lead a US sweep of the medals, winning by almost half a second in 19.31 to break Michael Johnson&rsquo;s long-standing US record and move to third on the world all-time list. Two days later, Lyles formed part of USA&rsquo;s silver medal-winning 4x100m team. 
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 He maintained his momentum after the World Championships, winning the 200m in Monaco (19.46) and Lausanne (19.56) before clocking a season&rsquo;s best of 9.95 to win the 100m in Berlin.
His season drew to a close at the Wanda Diamond League Final, where he ran a meeting record of 19.52 to win the series title &ndash; his fourth career Diamond Trophy in the 200m and fifth overall.

Shining a spotlight on the finalists for this year’s World Athlete of the Year awards

Spotlight on finalists: Yulimar Rojas and Noah Lyles

As the World Athletics Awards 2022 draws near, we shine a spotlight on the finalists for the World Athlete of the Year awards.
The World Athletes of the Year will be announced on World Athletics&rsquo; social media platforms in early December, as part of the World Athletics Awards 2022. 
<h2>Sydney McLaughlin</h2>
How do you follow a year that featured two world records and two global gold medal wins? If you&rsquo;re Sydney McLaughlin, then you repeat those remarkable feats.
In 2022, the 23-year-old improved her own world 400m hurdles record by 0.78, first to 51.41 at the US Championships and then to an awe-inspiring 50.68 at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22. That secured her a first individual senior world title, and she followed it by anchoring the US team to another 4x400m victory.
McLaughlin started her season with a 100m hurdles win at the end of April and ran her first 400m hurdles race of the year in Nashville at the start of June, making a statement with a 51.61 win. At that point it was the third-fastest time ever recorded behind her own world record of 51.46 and Dalilah Muhammad&rsquo;s 51.58 from the Tokyo Olympics, but those were not to remain history&rsquo;s three fastest times for long.
Lining up at the US Championships at Hayward Field, McLaughlin cruised through her heat and semifinal before making her world record-breaking run in the final look similarly effortless. Crossing the finish line with 51.41 on the clock, she improved the world record by 0.05.
After that race, providing a hint of what could still be to come, she said: &ldquo;I think there&rsquo;s a little bit more in the tank there, so hopefully when it&rsquo;s time we can just empty it completely.&rdquo;
Turns out, there was quite a lot left in the tank.
Back at Hayward Field a month later, and having again eased through the earlier rounds, McLaughlin obliterated her previous best, running 50.68 as the home crowd and the rest of the world watched on in amazement. 
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 &ldquo;The sport is getting faster and faster,&rdquo; said McLaughlin, who was followed over the finish line by Femke Bol and Muhammad, respectively the third- and second-fastest women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles in history. &ldquo;Just figuring out what barriers can be broken. I only get faster from here.&rdquo;
Two days later, McLaughlin returned to the track to clock a 47.91 anchor leg and help the home team to secure a dominant 4x400m win. She then closed her season with a 51.68 win at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting in Szekesfehervar &ndash; a European all-comers&rsquo; record and the sixth fastest time ever recorded.
As attention turns to 2023 and the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, she said: &ldquo;We are excited to be here (in Hungary) and scouting out everything ahead of the worlds next year.&rdquo;
&nbsp;
<h2>Eliud Kipchoge</h2>
Eliud Kipchoge continues to live up to his mantra: no human is limited. In 2022, not only did the Kenyan marathon great win two major races in Tokyo and Berlin, but he also improved his own world record to 2:01:09 &ndash; more than half a minute faster than any other athlete has ever achieved.
His first race of the year came in Tokyo in March, back in the city where he won his second Olympic marathon title last year. Before the race, Kipchoge had written 'ST:RO:NG' instead of numbers on his finish time prediction card and he achieved that aim, running 2:02:40 for a Japanese all-comers' record and the fourth-fastest time ever recorded in a record-eligible event behind his own world record of 2:01:39 set in Berlin in 2018.
&ldquo;I said I wanted to run strong in Japan and I did, I ran a course record,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I am really happy I won another major marathon.&rdquo;
It put him a step closer to another of his aims - winning each of the six Abbott World Marathon Majors. After victories in London, Berlin, Chicago and now Tokyo &ndash; all also World Athletics Elite Platinum Label road races &ndash; the 38-year-old will target Boston and New York City at some point in the future to compete the set.
Before that, however, he had business to attend to in Berlin.
In September, back at the scene of his 2018 world record, Kipchoge pushed the global mark further out of reach for the rest of the distance-running world. Clocking 2:01:09, he took half a minute off his previous world record and won by almost five minutes. 
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 Unlike his last world record run, Kipchoge went out hard and was not just comfortably inside world record pace, but also inside a projected two-hour finish as the half way point was passed in 59:50.
Although his pace then started to drop slightly, Kipchoge always remained on world record tempo.
"I wanted to run the first half so fast. No limitations,&rdquo; he said. "After 38km I knew I would be capable of breaking the world record.&rdquo;

Spotlight on finalists: Sydney McLaughlin and Eliud Kipchoge

As the World Athletics Awards 2022 draws near, we shine a spotlight on the finalists for the World Athlete of the Year awards.
The World Athletes of the Year will be announced on World Athletics&rsquo; social media platforms in early December, as part of the World Athletics Awards 2022. 
<h2>Kimberly Garcia</h2>
After a decade of breaking national records and establishing herself as the leading athlete in Peru, Kimberly Garcia&rsquo;s year-on-year progress continued in 2022 when she stepped up to become the best race walker in the entire world.
Her season started in February with silver in the 20km at the South American Race Walking Championships, adding to the gold she won in 2014 and her bronze from 2018 to complete a full set of medals from the continental event.
One month later, she earned her first ever podium finish at a global championship event, placing third in the 20km at the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships Muscat 22.
Garcia made her 35km debut in Dudince in April, finishing second in a South American record of 2:43:19. May was a much busier month, but she maintained her consistency with a 20km victory in Rio Maior, a 10km runner-up finish in Madrid, a 10,000m silver medal at the Ibero-American Championships and a 20km PB of 1:28:38 in La Coruna, again finishing second.
Following a busy few months, she opted not to race again until the World Athletics Championships Oregon22, where she was entered for both the 20km and 35km events. Although she was considered a strong medal contender in both events, few would have predicted what was to unfold in Oregon. 
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 At the start of the championships, she won the 20km convincingly in a national record of 1:26:58, finishing 33 seconds ahead of her nearest competitor and, more significantly, becoming the first athlete from Peru to win a world title.
One week later, she doubled her country&rsquo;s all-time gold medal haul at the World Championships when she won the 35km by an even bigger margin, this time 47 seconds, in a South American record of 2:39:16, becoming the first woman to win two race walking titles at one global championships.
Unsurprisingly, she ended the year world ranked No.1 in both the 20km and 35km. 
<h2>Jakob Ingebrigtsen</h2>
He may have still only been 21 at the start of this year, but Jakob Ingebrigtsen already had numerous continental titles to his name, as well as Olympic gold. But in 2022 he ticked off two more boxes on his ever-growing list of career accomplishments.
The first of those &ndash; a world record &ndash; came in his season opener in Lievin in February. Running a perfect race in the 1500m at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting, the Norwegian runner stopped the clock at 3:30.60 to take almost half a second off the previous world indoor record.
A bout of Covid prevented him from being at his best at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade, but he still managed to emerge with the silver medal.
He returned to winning ways during the outdoor season and won all but one of his races at 1500m and above. His early season streak included mile victories at the Wanda Diamond League meetings in Eugene and Oslo; the latter with a world-leading national record of 3:46.46.
Ingebrigtsen was surprisingly beaten in his specialist discipline at the World Championships, but he rebounded five days later to win the 5000m, earning his first world title in athletics. 
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 One month later, he successfully defended his European titles over 1500m and 5000m with the finals of those races just two days apart.
His winning habit continued through the end of the season as he won the 1500m at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Lausanne in a world-leading 3:29.05 and he then improved that time with his 3:29.02 victory at the Wanda Diamond League Final in Zurich.
&nbsp;

Spotlight on finalists: Kimberly Garcia and Jakob Ingebrigtsen

Ahead of the World Athletics Awards 2022, World Athletics is delighted to announce the six finalists for the Member Federation Award.
The Member Federation Award honours a national governing body that has gone above and beyond to serve its athletes, fans and greater community. The shortlisted federations were nominated by each of the six area associations.
The winner will be announced on World Athletics&rsquo; social media platforms in early December, as part of the World Athletics Awards 2022.
The six nominees, listed alphabetically, are:
<h3>Brazil (Confederacao Brasileira de Atletismo, South America)</h3>
Brazil hosted six international events successfully in 2022, including the South American U18 and U23 Championships, the South American Cross Country Championships, the Pan-American Cross Country Championships, a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze meeting, and an international grand prix.
The federation secured two revolutionary sponsorship deals, benefitting the country&rsquo;s elite athletes as well as providing a boost to the sport at grass roots level.
<h3>Guam (Guam Track and Field Association, Oceania)</h3>
Significant governance reforms at Guam Track and Field have led to an athletics resurgence within Guam, as underlined by the country&rsquo;s performance at the U18 and U20 Oceania Championships, as well as at the Pacific Games.
Guam will host the Oceania Cross Country Championships at the end of 2022, the country&rsquo;s first area championships for more than 10 years and a direct result of the hard work the federation has done in governance over the past year.
The federation has also signed multiple sponsor and partnership agreements for the national kit and local competitions.
<h3>Jamaica (Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association, NACAC)</h3>
In the face of difficult health and economic circumstances, Jamaica stepped forward to host the 49th Carifta Games. The record-breaking performances at the event were reflective of the preparations and commitment of the local organising committee, which was put in place by the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA).
The country&rsquo;s athletes &ndash; particularly the women &ndash; produced outstanding performances at the elite end, namely at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22, the World Athletics U20 Championships Cali 22, the Commonwealth Games, and on the Wanda Diamond League circuit.
Jamaica&rsquo;s O&rsquo;Dayne Richards, meanwhile, was elected Chair of the NACAC Athletes&rsquo; Commission.
<h3>Kenya (Athletics Kenya, Africa)</h3>
Athletics Kenya was the first member federation to sign the Sport for Climate Action Framework, underlining the governing body&rsquo;s position at the forefront of climate action in Kenya.
Since August 2021, when it signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Athletics Kenya has installed four air quality sensors in the Kasarani Stadium, Nyayo Stadium, Nairobi National Park and Nakuru Athletics Club, with more to come.
As well as staging the only Continental Tour Gold meeting in Africa, Kenya also hosted a media development programme for the African region in 2022.
At the elite end of the sport, Kenya topped the medals table at the African Championships, winning 10 gold medals, five silver and eight bronze. Eliud Kipchoge also lowered his own marathon world record, while Faith Kipyegon and Emmanuel Korir added world titles to the Olympic gold medals they won last year.
<h3>Korea (Korea Association of Athletics Federations, Asia)</h3>
Years of investment finally paid off for the Korea Association of Athletics Federations in 2022 as high jumper Woo Sanghyeok won world indoor gold &ndash; the country&rsquo;s first global indoor title. He went on to take silver at the World Championships in Oregon and performed consistently on the international circuit.
The country is preparing to host the Asian U20 Championships in June next year and is bidding for the 2025 Asian Championships.
They also continue their fine work in the grass roots of the sport, including building and launching their own national development centre which aims to host training camps for national and international athletes.
<h3>Spain (Real Federacion Espanola de Atletismo, Europe)</h3>
The inaugural European Off-Road Running Championships, a continental championship that combined trail and mountain running, took place in El Paso on the Spanish island of La Palma in July. Despite the odds &ndash; including a volcano eruption in the lead-up to the event &ndash; the championships was a tremendous success.
Spain also hosted the inaugural Dynamic New Athletics (DNA) European U20 Clubs competition, where more than 200 athletes representing teams from 11 countries took part in what was billed the &lsquo;Clash of the clubs&rsquo;.
Showcasing all they learned in the hosting of these events, Spain staged an international conference in October entitled &lsquo;Team Athletics: The Sport&rsquo;s New Offer&rsquo;.
World Athletics

The winner will be announced in early December

Nominees announced for 2022 Member Federations Award

As the World Athletics Awards 2022 draws near, we shine a spotlight on the finalists for the World Athlete of the Year awards.
The World Athletes of the Year will be announced on World Athletics&rsquo; social media platforms in early December, as part of the World Athletics Awards 2022.
&nbsp;
<h2>Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce</h2>
To put Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce&rsquo;s incredible consistency in 2022 into context, just five women in history have ever broken 10.70 for 100m. Fraser-Pryce surpassed that mark seven times throughout the season and one of those performances &ndash; her 10.67 in Oregon &ndash; saw the Jamaican become the first athlete to win five world titles in a single individual running event.
In her 15th season of international racing, the 35-year-old sprint star continued to blaze a trail.
She started her year with a 200m race in Kingston before opening her 100m campaign in style in Nairobi. Running 10.67 &ndash; a time she would match on three other occasions in the months to follow &ndash; Fraser-Pryce achieved the fastest ever women&rsquo;s 100m season opener. It set the tone for all that was to come.
A time of 10.67 also secured her victory at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Paris in June before she turned her attention to the Jamaican Championships and then the World Athletics Championships Oregon22. Back on the global stage, she raced seven times in eight days and won three medals &ndash; her fifth world 100m crown followed by silver medals in the 200m and 4x100m to take her career tally of global medals to 23, with 14 of those being gold.
In Oregon she led a Jamaican sweep of the medals in what was the deepest ever women&rsquo;s World Championships 100m final, as seven of the eight finalists dipped under 11 seconds.
"I feel blessed to have this talent and to continue to do it at 35, (after) having a baby, still going, and hopefully inspiring women that they can make their own journey," she said. 
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 After that, her own journey continued at the Diamond League meeting in Silesia where Fraser-Pryce again dipped under 10.70 with a winning 10.66. She then ran 10.67 to win in Szekesfehervar and improved her world lead to 10.62 &ndash; a time that only she and two other athletes have ever bettered &ndash; to win in Monaco.
She clocked 10.74 for the runner-up spot in Brussels and returned to the top in Zurich, clocking 10.65 to win the fifth Diamond Trophy of her career.
&ldquo;I am very proud that I came away with a 10.65,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I started (the season) with a 10.6 and I finish with a 10.6, so there is nothing more I could ask for.&rdquo;
&nbsp;
<h2>Soufiane El Bakkali</h2>
Morocco&rsquo;s Soufiane El Bakkali started the year as an Olympic champion and ended it as a world title winner, doubling his career tally of global gold medals with victory at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22.
He too achieved great consistency, remaining unbeaten throughout the season and running a world lead of 7:58.28 in front of a delighted home crowd at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Rabat.
The 26-year-old made his season debut at the Diamond League in Doha, winning there in 8:09.66. With his focus on Oregon, he raced just once more before lining up at Hayward Field, sending a message to his rivals with that world-leading performance in Rabat.
&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t describe my happiness in winning this race,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Achieving a world lead and a meeting record in front of a home audience is just incredible.&rdquo;
Once in Oregon &ndash; El Bakkali&rsquo;s second visit to the United States after he competed in the same city at the 2014 World U20 Championships &ndash; his experience paid off as he timed his kick to perfection in a tactical race.
Surging away with 200 metres to go, El Bakkali beat Ethiopia&rsquo;s Lamecha Girma and Kenya&rsquo;s Conseslus Kipruto to complete his set of World Championships medals, adding a gold to the silver he won in London in 2017 and the bronze he claimed in Doha in 2019.
His celebrations included taking a dip in the water jump on his victory lap. 
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 World gold secured, he turned his attention to the Diamond League Final and after a win in Lausanne in 8:02.45 he returned to Switzerland to claim his first Diamond Trophy in Zurich.
&ldquo;This year was amazing for me, winning the World Championships and the Diamond race,&rdquo; he reflected. &ldquo;What a wonderful season. I won so many races.&rdquo;
One more win was still to come, as he capped his season with an African best in Zagreb. Running 5:14.06 in the 2000m steeplechase, he moved to third on the world all-time list for the event.

Spotlight on finalists: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Soufiane El Bakkali

As the World Athletics Awards 2022 draws near, we shine a spotlight on the finalists for the World Athlete of the Year awards.
The World Athletes of the Year will be announced on World Athletics&rsquo; social media platforms in early December, as part of the World Athletics Awards 2022.
&nbsp;
<h2>Tobi Amusan</h2>
Nigeria&rsquo;s Tobi Amusan had been Africa&rsquo;s leading sprint hurdler for quite some time, winning gold at the past two African Games and at the 2018 African Championships. But in 2022, after finishing fourth at the past two global events, the 25-year-old finally struck gold and established herself as the world No.1 in the 100m hurdles.
Not only did Amusan end her season as the world leader and world champion. Thanks to her stunning world record run of 12.12 in the semifinals at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22, she is now the fastest woman in history for the 100m hurdles.
Her season started, as it often does, with some races in the US, where she is based for much of the year. The early signs were promising, as she sped to PBs of 11.14 for 100m and 22.66 for 200m. Her first race in her specialist distance was a wind-assisted 12.58 clocking &ndash; her fastest ever season debut.
Amusan never shied away from lining up against the world&rsquo;s best sprint hurdlers and regularly raced against the likes of Jasmine Camacho-Quinn and Kendra Harrison, the Olympic gold and silver medallists respectively. Once the Wanda Diamond League series got under way in mid-May, Amusan didn&rsquo;t finish outside of the top two in any of her races.
From that point onwards, Amusan won nine of her 14 races in what became a record year for depth in the event, featuring five of the 10 fastest sprint hurdlers in history.
Amusan&rsquo;s first big victory of 2022 came at the African Championships, where she successfully defended her title in a wind-assisted 12.57. She matched that mark just five days later, this time with legal wind, when winning in Turku.
Later that week, Amusan lowered her own African record to 12.41 when winning at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Paris. It stood as her PB for little more than a month, until she got to the World Championships.
Her first-round heat victory of 12.40 &ndash; faster than the gold-medal-winning times at all but four editions of the World Championships &ndash; made Amusan&rsquo;s intentions clear. Even so, few could have predicted what was to come in the semifinals the next day. 
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 Looking controlled and sharp throughout, Amusan executed a near-perfect race in the semifinals and crossed the line in 12.12, an 0.08 improvement on the world record. Such was the shock of her performance &ndash; as well as some of the PBs set by other athletes in the race &ndash; some onlookers wondered whether there had been a timing malfunction in the race. But any doubts were soon put to bed in the final roughly an hour later when Amusan sped to victory in a wind-assisted 12.06 (2.5m/s).
Two weeks after her first global triumph, Amusan successfully defended her Commonwealth title in a Games record of 12.30. She capped her season with victory in the Wanda Diamond League final in a meeting record of 12.29.
&nbsp;
<h2>Mondo Duplantis</h2>
The majority of international pole vaulters can only ever dream about clearing six metres. For a select few, it will become a reality once or twice during their careers.
For Mondo Duplantis, it is almost a weekly occurrence.
Just when you think the Swedish pole vaulter could not be more dominant, he has a season like 2022, during which he set three world records, won two global titles, won 18 of his 19 competitions, and vaulted six metres or higher 23 times.
Duplantis, despite only just turning 23, now has more six-metre clearances than any other pole vaulter in history.
His record-breaking 2022 campaign began with an undefeated indoor season, during which he improved with each competition. He produced winning vaults of 6.02m, 6.03m, 6.04m and 6.05m before setting a world record of 6.19m in Belgrade. He returned to the Serbian capital two weeks later for the World Athletics Indoor Championships, where he struck gold with 6.20m, another improvement on his own world record.
He was then victorious on the Wanda Diamond League circuit, winning in Doha, Eugene, Oslo and Stockholm &ndash; the latter with an outdoor best of 6.16m, the highest ever outdoor vault in history. It was the perfect warm-up for the World Championships three weeks later. 
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 As the last athlete competing on the final day of competition at the World Championships in Oregon, all eyes were on Duplantis. He didn&rsquo;t disappoint, soaring over 6.21m on his second attempt at that height and &ndash; remarkably &ndash; with room to spare.
Less than a month later, he retained his European title with a championship record of 6.06m in a competition where he registered no misses.
He wrapped up his season with victories at the Wanda Diamond League meetings in Lausanne and Zurich. The rare loss he suffered in Brussels in between those meetings made no dent on what was otherwise an incredible 2022 campaign.

Spotlight on finalists: Tobi Amusan and Mondo Duplantis

The names of the five finalists for Men&rsquo;s World Athlete of the Year have been confirmed, as the countdown to the World Athletics Awards 2022 continues.
The five athletes, who represent five countries from three area associations, have achieved sensational performances across a range of athletics disciplines in 2022, at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22, World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 22, one-day meeting circuits and other events around the world.
The finalists are (in alphabetical order):
Mondo Duplantis, SWE - World pole vault champion indoors and outdoors - Diamond League and European pole vault champion - Improved his world record to 6.19m and 6.20m indoors, and then 6.21m outdoors
Soufiane El Bakkali, MAR - World 3000m steeplechase champion - Diamond League 3000m steeplechase champion - Unbeaten in 2022, running a world-leading 7:58.28 in Rabat
Jakob Ingebrigtsen, NOR - World 5000m champion, world 1500m silver medallist indoors and outdoors - European 1500m and 5000m champion - Ran a world indoor 1500m record of 3:30.60 and won the Diamond League title in a world-leading 3:29.02
Eliud Kipchoge, KEN - Improved his world marathon record to 2:01:09 - Berlin Marathon champion - Tokyo Marathon champion
Noah Lyles, USA - World 200m champion - Diamond League 200m champion - Ran a world-leading national record of 19.31 to move to third on the world all-time list 
<h3>Voting procedure for 2022 World Athletes of the Year</h3>
A three-way voting process determined the finalists.
The World Athletics Council and the World Athletics Family cast their votes by email, while fans logged their decisions online via the World Athletics social media platforms where a record 1.3 million votes were registered.
The World Athletics Council&rsquo;s vote counted for 50% of the result, while the World Athletics Family&rsquo;s votes and the public votes each counted for 25% of the final result.
Voting closed on 31 October.
The World Athletes of the Year will be announced on World Athletics&rsquo; social media platforms in early December, as part of the World Athletics Awards 2022.
World Athletics

World Athletics is pleased to confirm the five finalists for Men's World Athlete of the Year

Finalists announced for Men's World Athlete of the Year 2022

The names of the five finalists for Women&rsquo;s World Athlete of the Year have been confirmed, as the countdown to the World Athletics Awards 2022 continues.
The five athletes, who represent five countries from three area associations, have achieved sensational performances across a range of athletics disciplines in 2022, at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22, World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 22, one-day meeting circuits and other events around the world.
The finalists are (in alphabetical order):
Tobi Amusan, NGR - World 100m hurdles champion - Diamond League, Commonwealth and African 100m hurdles champion - Set a world 100m hurdles record of 12.12
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, JAM - World 100m champion, claiming a fifth gold medal in the event - Diamond League 100m champion - Ran a world-leading 10.62 among her record seven sub-10.70 100m races of the season
Kimberly Garcia, PER - World 20km race walk champion, winning Peru&rsquo;s first ever World Athletics Championships medal - World 35km race walk champion in a South American record to complete a race walk double - World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships 20km bronze medallist
Sydney McLaughlin, USA - World 400m hurdles and 4x400m champion - Broke the world 400m hurdles record with 51.41 at the US Championships - Further improved the world record to 50.68 to win the world title
Yulimar Rojas, VEN - World indoor and outdoor triple jump champion - Diamond League triple jump champion - Improved her world record to 15.74m in Belgrade 
<h3>Voting procedure for 2022 World Athletes of the Year</h3>
A three-way voting process determined the finalists.
The World Athletics Council and the World Athletics Family cast their votes by email, while fans logged their decisions online via the World Athletics social media platforms where a record 1.3 million votes were registered.
The World Athletics Council&rsquo;s vote counted for 50% of the result, while the World Athletics Family&rsquo;s votes and the public votes each counted for 25% of the final result.
Voting closed on 31 October.
The World Athletes of the Year will be announced on World Athletics&rsquo; social media platforms in early December, as part of the World Athletics Awards 2022.
World Athletics

World Athletics is pleased to confirm the five finalists for Women's World Athlete of the Year

Finalists announced for Women's World Athlete of the Year 2022

The three finalists for the Photograph of the Year award have been selected, with less than a month to go until the World Athletics Awards 2022.
From the 110 images that were submitted, a panel of judges &ndash; comprising Valerie Adams, Raquel Cavaco Nunes, Ivo Gonzalez, Renaud Lavillenie and Pascal Rondeau &ndash; narrowed the entries to 26 shortlisted images before deciding on the three finalists.
Photographers from 33 countries across all six continental areas submitted entries.
The 26 shortlisted images will form part of a digital exhibition on the World Athletics website that will go live later this month.
The winning photograph will be announced on World Athletics&rsquo; social media platforms in early December, as part of the World Athletics Awards 2022. 
<h3>The finalists</h3>
 <img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/636d4ae28f456eb6541c4dd9.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />Grant Holloway of USA strides away from the chasing pack while competing in the men's 60m hurdles semifinals during day three of the World Athletics Indoor Championships at the Stark Arena in Belgrade, Serbia. Photo by Sam Barnes, Sportsfile
&nbsp;
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/636d4b268f456eb6541c4ddc.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />Jereem Richards of Trinidad and Tobago celebrates after winning gold in the final of the men's 200m at the Commonwealth Games at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham, England. Photo by Phil Noble, Reuters
&nbsp;
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/636d4c458f456eb6541c4de0.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />Germany's Lea Meyer falls headfirst into the water while competing in the women's 3000m steeplechase on day two of the World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field in Oregon, USA. Photo by Martin Rickett, PA Media 
<h3>About the photographers</h3>
 Sam Barnes An experienced sports photographer, Barnes is originally from the UK but is currently based in Dublin, Ireland, where he has worked as a staff photographer with Dublin based agency Sportsfile since early 2015. He has worked closely with the Ireland athletics team for many years, covering numerous major championships around the world in the process.
Phil Noble Noble is an award-winning photographer based in the North West of England. He has been on staff with Reuters since 2006, covering a wide range of news and sports assignments including Summer and Winter Olympic Games and Premier League and Champions League football.
Martin Rickett Rickett is an award-winning sport photographer for PA Media based in Manchester, England. Since joining in 2001, he has covered multiple Olympic and Commonwealth Games, World Athletics Championships and European Athletics Championships. He has also covered&nbsp;many other sports and events, including thousands of football matches, from the Premier League to European Championships and World Cups.
World Athletics

Photographers from 33 countries across all six continental areas submitted entries

Finalists announced for 2022 World Athletics Photograph of the Year

As the countdown to the World Athletics Awards 2022 continues, we shine a spotlight on the five women and five men who have been nominated for this year&rsquo;s Rising Star awards.
The winners will be selected by an international panel of experts and be announced on World Athletics&rsquo; social media platforms in early December. 
<h2>Adriana Vilagos</h2>
When you start the season as a reigning global champion, there&rsquo;s always a certain amount of pressure.
But Serbian javelin thrower Adriana Vilagos exceeded all expectations that were placed on her young shoulders in 2022.
In a season that started in March and ended in September, Vilagos placed in the top three in 15 of her 16 competitions, consistently throwing beyond 60 metres and finishing ahead of experienced senior opponents.
During the first half of the season, she won gold at the Balkan Championships and Mediterranean Games. Then came her big target for the year: the World Athletics U20 Championships Cali 22. 
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 She had won gold in Nairobi one year prior, aged just 17 at the time, but now the pressure was on to defend that honour. She dominated the competition, throwing beyond 60 metres with four of her five valid throws in the final. She saved her best for last, sending her spear out to a championship record of 63.52m in the sixth round, becoming the first woman since former world record-holder Osleidys Menendez to win back-to-back world U20 titles in the javelin.
Vilagos&rsquo;s winning mark also elevated her to third on the world U20 all-time list, but she still has another season left in the age group so could climb even higher up that list next year.
Less than three weeks after retaining her world U20 title, Vilagos earned silver at the senior European Championships, finishing one place ahead of world record-holder Barbora Spotakova. Vilagos rounded out her season with some strong performances on the international circuit, including a 63.00m third-place finish at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Brussels.
&nbsp;
<h2>Emmanuel Wanyonyi</h2>
Like Vilagos, Emmanuel Wanyonyi started the year as the reigning world U20 800m champion. He decided against defending his title and instead opted to compete against senior opposition.
It proved to be the smoothest of transitions as the Kenyan middle-distance runner won his first four races, including the Continental Tour Gold meetings in Nairobi and Ostrava and then at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Rabat, beating some of the world&rsquo;s best 800m runners in the process. 
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 At Kenya&rsquo;s hotly contested trials, Wanyonyi clocked a season&rsquo;s best of 1:44.01 to secure his place on the team for the World Athletics Championships Oregon22.
He went on to finish fourth at the World Championships, clocking 1:44.54 and missing out on a medal by just a quarter of a second - despite still being aged just 17 at the time.
He ended his season in fifth place on the world rankings. Of all U20 athletes, only Erriyon Knighton ranks higher in the overall rankings.
Wanyonyi still has another year left as an U20 athlete, but given he has already made an impact as a senior, expect to see him featuring prominently on the international circuit again in 2023.

Shining a spotlight on the nominees for this year’s Rising Star awards

Brazil wins Member Federations Award

Nageotte and Bradshaw win Fair Play Award

Rickett captures World Athletics Photograph of the Year

Ukrainian Athletic Association wins President’s Award

Fraser wins Woman of the Year Award