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 2023.
From the 134 images that were submitted, a panel of judges &ndash; comprising Valerie Adams, Raquel Cavaco Nunes, Joel Marklund, Pascal Rondeau and Blanka Vlasic &ndash; narrowed the entries to 10 shortlisted images before deciding on the three finalists.
Photographers from 47 countries across all six continental areas submitted entries.
The 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; platforms in early December, as part of the World Athletics Awards 2023.
<h2>The finalists</h2>
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/655c94396b41caad899bab0c.jpg" alt="Photograph of the Year finalist - Alexis Holmes and Femke Bol in the mixed 4x400m in Budapest" />
Alexis Holmes of USA, left, on her way to winning the mixed 4x400m as Femke Bol of Netherlands falls at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 (&copy; Sam Barnes / Sportsfile) 
</div>
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/655c94836b41caad899bab0f.jpg" alt="Photograph of the Year finalist - Gianmarco Tamberi celebrates his high jump victory in Budapest" />
Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy winning gold in the high jump at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 (&copy; Anton Geyser, South African Sports Images) 
</div>
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/655c96306b41caad899bab12.JPG" alt="Photograph of the Year finalist - Leo Neugebauer in the decathlon pole vault in Budapest" />
Leo Neugebauer of Germany in the decathlon pole vault at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 (&copy; Mattia Ozbot, World Athletics Photography Workshop)
</div>
&nbsp;
<h2>About the photographers</h2>
Sam Barnes An award-winning sports photographer currently based in Dublin, Ireland, working as full-time staff for Irish agency Sportsfile. Originally from Reading, UK, Barnes has been based in Dublin for almost 10 years and has covered a broad range of sporting events including multiple World and European Athletics Championships, and the Tokyo Paralympic Games. His work was also shortlisted for the Photograph of the Year award in 2022.
Anton Geyser A passionate and dedicated sports photographer, Geyser has covered a wide range of events, from grassroots competitions to international championships, and has contributed work to renowned sports publications and websites. Committed to mentoring aspiring sports photographers, he also often uses his photography to support charitable causes related to sports and youth development.
Mattia Ozbot A freelance photographer based in Milan, Ozbot specialises in sports photography and has a passion for capturing all the emotions sports can bring. In 2023 he was selected for the inaugural World Athletics Photography Workshop, held during the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23.
World Athletics

From 134 images that were submitted, the three finalists for the Photograph of the Year award have been selected

Finalists announced for 2023 World Athletics Photograph of the Year

As the World Athletics Awards 2023 draws near, we&rsquo;re shining a spotlight on the 10 finalists &ndash; five men and five women &ndash; for the World Athlete of the Year awards.
Today the focus is on Swedish pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis.
&nbsp;
Just when it seemed like Mondo Duplantis couldn&rsquo;t possibly have had a better season than last year, along comes 2023.
The Swedish superstar pole vaulter improved on his world record indoors and outdoors, successfully defended his world title, and racked up another 20 clearances at 6.00m or higher.
His year started with a bang as he scaled 6.10m on home soil in Uppsala. After winning in Berlin (6.06m) and Lievin (6.01m), Duplantis capped his indoor campaign with a world record of 6.22m in Clermont-Ferrand.
Duplantis opened his outdoor season at the Continental Tour Gold meeting in California at the end of May, clearing a world-leading 5.91m. He returned to six-metre territory just one week later, vaulting 6.11m at the FBK Games in Hengelo, then notching up victories in Oslo (6.01m), Ostrava (6.12m) and Stockholm (6.05m).
After winning in Silesia with 6.01m, Duplantis suffered a rare defeat in Monaco where he placed fourth with 5.72m.
It was just the fire he needed heading into the World Championships.
After making easy work of the qualifying round, Duplantis returned to the runway three days later for the pole vault final. He didn&rsquo;t put a foot wrong, clearing all of his heights on the first attempt, up to and including his winning vault of 6.10m.
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That&rsquo;s not to say it was a complete walk-over, though. In a high quality competition, Ernest John Obiena of the Philippines took silver with 6.00m, while Australia&rsquo;s Kurtis Marschall and USA&rsquo;s Chris Nilsen shared the bronze with 5.95m.
&ldquo;I'm really happy about all these consecutive golds,&rdquo; said Duplantis, who had won world titles indoors and out in 2022, as well as taking Olympic gold in 2021. &ldquo;I don't know where this one ranks, but I'm happy to keep winning. This was maybe the craziest atmosphere I've ever competed in so it meant a lot to be able to turn on a pole vault show for them.
&ldquo;I'll be ready for Paris and the Olympics but right now I want to live in the moment and enjoy these World Championships and this title.&rdquo;
Having ticked off his biggest goal for the year, Duplantis then set his sights on his stretch target for 2023: another improvement on his own world record.
He won in Zurich (6.00m) and in Brussels (6.10m), both times taking good &ndash; but ultimately unsuccessful &ndash; attempts at the world record.
Then at the Wanda Diamond League Final in Eugene &ndash; his final competition of the year, and back on the runway where he had broken the world record in 2022 to win the world title &ndash; Duplantis ended his season in the best possible way.
He soared over 5.62m, 5.82m and 6.02m to secure victory. And then, with his first attempt, he got over 6.23m to add a centimetre to his own world record.
&ldquo;The limit is very high, and I hope that I can continue to jump well and keep jumping higher than I did today,&rdquo; said Duplantis. &ldquo;But, for now, I&rsquo;m not really thinking about anything except enjoying this moment and enjoying what I just did.&rdquo;
By the end of a long season, Duplantis had won 16 of his 17 competitions. He cleared six metres in 13 of those competitions, notching up a combined total of 20 six-metre vaults.
He now owns the top eight vaults in history and a total of 74 six-metre vaults &ndash; which translates to 36% of all the six-metre vaults ever achieved in the history of the sport.
&nbsp;
&bull; The World Athletes of the Year will be announced on World Athletics&rsquo; social media platforms on 11 December as part of the World Athletics Awards 2023 &ndash; and you and a friend can be part of the celebrations.
One lucky person and a companion will win a once-in-a-lifetime VIP trip to Monaco during the annual World Athletics Awards.
The winners of the fan VIP trip will get to spend three nights (9-11 December) in Monaco and meet the best athletes of 2023 in person. Flights, accommodation and evening meals will all be included.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/news/news/win-a-vip-trip-to-monaco?utm_source=Editorial&amp;utm_medium=Web&amp;utm_campaign=VIP-Trip&amp;utm_content=Bannerads" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Enter now</a>

Shining the spotlight on world pole vault champion Mondo Duplantis

Focus on finalists: Mondo Duplantis

As the World Athletics Awards 2023 draws near, we&rsquo;re shining a spotlight on the 10 finalists &ndash; five men and five women &ndash; for the World Athlete of the Year awards.
Today the focus is on Jamaican sprinter Shericka Jackson.
&nbsp;
In 2023 Shericka Jackson extended her reign as the queen of the 200m.
The Jamaican went undefeated in the half-lap sprint for the entire year, retaining her world title and creeping ever closer to the long-standing world record.
She also impressed in the 100m, reducing her PB to a world-leading 10.65 before taking world silver, then adding another silver medal in the 4x100m.
Following some early-season races in the first few months of the year, Jackson&rsquo;s season really got going in April when she sped to a world-leading 10.82 in her first 100m competition of the year.
She then started her Wanda Diamond League campaign in May, finishing second over 100m in Doha before winning the 200m in Rabat in 21.98.
In early July, Jackson won the sprint double at the Jamaican Championships, taking the 100m in a PB of 10.65 and the 200m in 21.71. At the end of that month, she had competitions in four different countries within the span of a week, clocking 10.78 for 100m in Silesia, winning the 200m in Szekesfehervar in 22.02, winning again over 200m in Monaco in 21.86, then running 10.94 in the 100m in London.
She then rested, understandably, until the World Championships one month later.
The 100m was up first in Budapest and she took silver in 10.72. But it&rsquo;s the 200m where Jackson truly excels, and she didn&rsquo;t disappoint. In the final she sped around the bend and then charged down the home straight to cross the finish line in a championship record of 21.41, the second-fastest time in history and just 0.07 shy of the world record.
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"I ran a good race &ndash; 21.41 is a time I cannot complain about. It feels good that even though I used to run 400m I can still do a very good 100m and 200m. I feel like I am a living testimony that you can create something if you really want it and never give up.
"Even if I was pretty close to the world record, it was not the thing on my mind when I ran. I'll continue to work and I hope I can maintain at least this level and we will see if the world record will come."
One day later, she notched up a third medal in Budapest, taking silver in the 4x100m.
She maintained her 200m winning streak through the end of the year, winning in Zurich (21.82), Brussels (21.48) and Eugene (21.57).
She had hoped to break the world record in her final couple of races of the season. Although she didn&rsquo;t better 21.34, she made history in other ways; she achieved more sub-22-second clockings (7) in one season than anyone else in history. And her career tally of sub-22 runs now stands at 17, breaking the record set by Merlene Ottey.
She is also fast starting to dominate the world all-time list. She now owns three of the four fastest 200m performances of all time, and five of the eight fastest clockings.
&nbsp;
&bull; The World Athletes of the Year will be announced on World Athletics&rsquo; social media platforms on 11 December as part of the World Athletics Awards 2023 &ndash; and you and a friend can be part of the celebrations.
One lucky person and a companion will win a once-in-a-lifetime VIP trip to Monaco during the annual World Athletics Awards.
The winners of the fan VIP trip will get to spend three nights (9-11 December) in Monaco and meet the best athletes of 2023 in person. Flights, accommodation and evening meals will all be included.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/news/news/win-a-vip-trip-to-monaco?utm_source=Editorial&amp;utm_medium=Web&amp;utm_campaign=VIP-Trip&amp;utm_content=Bannerads" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Enter now</a>

Shining the spotlight on world 200m champion Shericka Jackson

Focus on finalists: Shericka Jackson

As the World Athletics Awards 2023 draws near, we&rsquo;re shining a spotlight on the 10 finalists &ndash; five men and five women &ndash; for the World Athlete of the Year awards.
Today the focus is on US shot putter Ryan Crouser.
&nbsp;
In what has proven to be the greatest ever era for the men&rsquo;s shot put, Ryan Crouser continues to push the boundaries.
The US thrower enjoyed yet another sensational season, successfully defending his world title, extending his own world record and racking up numerous 22-metre and 23-metre throws.
His season started back in February with victory at the Millrose Games, where he threw 22.58m &ndash; a mark that stood up as a world indoor lead.
One week later in Pocatello, Crouser threw 23.38m &ndash; which would have been an outright world record, but it could not be ratified as the landing area was slightly downhill and the circle was non-compliant.
Crouser didn&rsquo;t mind, though &ndash; it simply gave him fuel for the outdoor season.
After his brief indoor campaign, Crouser resumed competition in April, winning at the Drake Relays with 22.42m (indoor exhibition competition) and then in the main programme with 22.38m.
One month later at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting in Westwood, California, Crouser broke his own world record with 23.56m, adding 19 centimetres to the mark he set at the 2021 US Championships.
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He opened his series with 23.23m, then improved to 23.31 &ndash; the second-best throw in history at that point. After a 22.94m effort in round three, Crouser produced his world record mark in round four. He rounded out his series with marks of 22.80m and 22.86m.
&ldquo;It felt like I had a tonne of power and I caught a big one,&rdquo; he said.
One month later, Crouser notched up victories in Ostrava (22.63m) and Lausanne (22.29m &ndash; his shortest throw of the year), then won the US title with 22.86m.
He then returned to Europe, winning in Silesia (22.55m) and Szekesfehervar (22.51m) before making an impact at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in London, where he set a meeting record of 23.07m &ndash; the perfect confidence boost ahead of the World Championships.
Or at least it would have been, had it not been for the fact that medics discovered two blood clots on Crouser&rsquo;s legs just two weeks before the World Championships. At first he was unsure if he&rsquo;d be able to defend his title, but he was eventually given the green light; he just wasn&rsquo;t sure if he&rsquo;d be at his best.
But as it turned out, Crouser was simply untouchable in Budapest. He opened his series with 22.63m &ndash; a mark that would have been sufficient for gold &ndash; but then improved to a championship record of 22.98m. He followed that with 22.28m and then two fouls, but he saved his best for last.
Stepping into the circle with the title confirmed, Crouser launched his shot out to 23.51m &ndash; a championship record and the second-best throw in history behind the world record he had set just three months prior.
&ldquo;That was a tough one,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The last throw was testament to all the hard work and dedication over the last year. With all that has happened, it was a phenomenal throw.&rdquo;
His winning margin of 1.17m is the biggest ever in the men&rsquo;s shot put at the World Championships, and is quite the turnaround from four years prior when Crouser missed out on world gold by the smallest winning margin ever (1cm).
Crouser&rsquo;s winning streak came to an end in his final competition of the year. At the Wanda Diamond League Final, Crouser produced a best throw of 22.91m and produced four marks beyond 22.75m &ndash; a superb result by anyone&rsquo;s standards &ndash; but on the day it wasn&rsquo;t quite enough to beat US rival Joe Kovacs, who won with 22.93m.
Nevertheless, Crouser had won 13 of his 14 competitions in 2023, including the one that mattered most. He now has a staggering 243 throws beyond 22m, which translates to 40% of all of history&rsquo;s 22-metre performances.
&nbsp;
&bull; The World Athletes of the Year will be announced on World Athletics&rsquo; social media platforms on 11 December as part of the World Athletics Awards 2023 &ndash; and you and a friend can be part of the celebrations.
One lucky person and a companion will win a once-in-a-lifetime VIP trip to Monaco during the annual World Athletics Awards.
The winners of the fan VIP trip will get to spend three nights (9-11 December) in Monaco and meet the best athletes of 2023 in person. Flights, accommodation and evening meals will all be included.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/news/news/win-a-vip-trip-to-monaco?utm_source=Editorial&amp;utm_medium=Web&amp;utm_campaign=VIP-Trip&amp;utm_content=Bannerads" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Enter now</a>

Shining the spotlight on world shot put champion Ryan Crouser

Focus on finalists: Ryan Crouser

As the World Athletics Awards 2023 draws near, we&rsquo;re shining a spotlight on the 10 finalists &ndash; five men and five women &ndash; for the World Athlete of the Year awards.
Today the focus is on Dutch 400m hurdler Femke Bol.
&nbsp;
When Femke Bol started her 2023 by breaking a world indoor best, it was clear she was poised for a great year.
One week after her record-breaking 1:05.63 clocking over 500m in Boston, Bol made more history by setting Dutch indoor 200m and 400m records on the same day, clocking 22.87 and 49.96.
There was more to come, though. Eight days later, she broke the world indoor 400m record with a stunning 49.26 run at the Dutch Indoor Championships, taking 0.33 off a record that had stood for 41 years.
She ended her indoor campaign by taking double gold at the European Indoor Championships, winning the 400m (49.85) and 4x400m (3:25.66).
At the end of May, she opened what became an undefeated run of victories in her specialist event, the 400m hurdles.
She started her outdoor season with 400m hurdles wins in Oordegem (53.12), Florence (52.43), Oslo (52.30) and Lausanne (52.76). At the end of July, in what was her final appearance before the World Championships, she blew the opposition away to win at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in London in a world-leading European record of 51.45.
It was the third-fastest performance in history; up until June 2022, it would have been a world record.
Bol didn&rsquo;t race again until the World Championships, but her Budapest experience didn&rsquo;t get off to the best of starts.
Running the anchor leg for the Netherlands in the mixed 4x400m on the opening day of the championships, Bol fell in the closing stages while leading the race.
She didn&rsquo;t wallow in the disappointment for too long, though, because she knew she had two other opportunities to win gold medals.
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Two days after that fall, she breezed through her 400m hurdles heat, and then won her semifinal. She was unbeatable in the final, winning by more than a second in 51.70 to secure her first global title.
She didn&rsquo;t have long to wait before she won another. On the final day of the championships, Bol&rsquo;s week came full circle as she ran the anchor leg for the Netherlands in the women&rsquo;s 4x400m, coming from behind to take gold in the final stages, winning in a world-leading national record of 3:20.72.
She rounded out her season with wins in Bellinzona (52.79) and Brussels (52.11) before winning the Wanda Diamond League title in 51.98, the third sub-52-second clocking of her season.
Bol ended her 2023 season with the eight fastest 400m hurdles performances in the world this year. She also now owns 12 of the 13 fastest times in history by a European woman.
&nbsp;
&bull; The World Athletes of the Year will be announced on World Athletics&rsquo; social media platforms on 11 December as part of the World Athletics Awards 2023 &ndash; and you and a friend can be part of the celebrations.
One lucky person and a companion will win a once-in-a-lifetime VIP trip to Monaco during the annual World Athletics Awards.
The winners of the fan VIP trip will get to spend three nights (9-11 December) in Monaco and meet the best athletes of 2023 in person. Flights, accommodation and evening meals will all be included.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/news/news/win-a-vip-trip-to-monaco?utm_source=Editorial&amp;utm_medium=Web&amp;utm_campaign=VIP-Trip&amp;utm_content=Bannerads" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Enter now</a>

Shining the spotlight on world 400m hurdles champion Femke Bol

Focus on finalists: Femke Bol

As the World Athletics Awards 2023 draws near, we&rsquo;re shining a spotlight on the 10 finalists &ndash; five men and five women &ndash; for the World Athlete of the Year awards.
Today the focus is on Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra.
&nbsp;
As has been the case for the past few years, consistency was the key for Neeraj Chopra in 2023.
His ability to produce a big throw on any given day led to him becoming India&rsquo;s first ever world champion, two years after becoming his country&rsquo;s first Olympic champion in athletics.
Chopra&rsquo;s first outing of the year set the tone for the rest of the season. With his first throw of the competition at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Doha, he sent his spear out to 88.67m to defeat world and Olympic medallist Jakub Vadlejch.
He notched up another Diamond League victory one month later in Lausanne, winning with 87.66m.
It may not have been the busiest start to his season, but those two victories nevertheless game him confidence heading into the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23. He impressed in the qualifying round, throwing a season&rsquo;s best of 88.77m, showing his opponents that he was the man to beat.
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That proved to be the case in the final. After opening with a foul, he launched his javelin out to 88.17m to take the lead, and he stayed there for the remainder of the competition. He followed it with throws of 86.32m, 84.64 and 87.73m before rounding out his series with 83.98m.
&ldquo;This was great,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;After the Olympic gold, I really wanted to win the World Championships. This has been a great championships for India, and I am proud to bring another title to my country.&rdquo;
The last time Chopra finished outside of the top three in a competition was back in September 2018, and he maintained his consistent record through the end of the season, finishing second in Zurich (85.71m) and at the Wanda Diamond League Final in Eugene (83.80m).
Chopra&rsquo;s season ended on a high at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, where he successfully defended his title with a season&rsquo;s best of 88.88m, leading an Indian 1-2 finish from compatriot Kishmore Kumar Jena.
&nbsp;
&bull; The World Athletes of the Year will be announced on World Athletics&rsquo; social media platforms on 11 December as part of the World Athletics Awards 2023 &ndash; and you and a friend can be part of the celebrations.
One lucky person and a companion will win a once-in-a-lifetime VIP trip to Monaco during the annual World Athletics Awards.
The winners of the fan VIP trip will get to spend three nights (9-11 December) in Monaco and meet the best athletes of 2023 in person. Flights, accommodation and evening meals will all be included.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/news/news/win-a-vip-trip-to-monaco?utm_source=Editorial&amp;utm_medium=Web&amp;utm_campaign=VIP-Trip&amp;utm_content=Bannerads" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Enter now</a>

Shining the spotlight on world javelin champion Neeraj Chopra

Focus on finalists: Neeraj Chopra

Six finalists have been nominated for the Member Federations Award ahead of next month&rsquo;s World Athletics Awards 2023.
The Member Federations Award recognises a Member Federation that has distinguished itself in its accomplishments throughout the year and, as a result, positively contributed to the growth and profile of the sport. The shortlisted federations were nominated by each of the six area associations.
The winner will be announced on World Athletics&rsquo; platforms in early December, as part of the World Athletics Awards 2023.
The six nominees, listed alphabetically, are:
<h3>Australia (Athletics Australia, Oceania)</h3>
Australia started 2023 by hosting the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst in February, claiming a medal in the mixed relay. Oceania&rsquo;s first World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting followed a few days later as the inaugural edition of the Maurie Plant Meeting, formerly the Melbourne Track Classic, took place.
Australia had its best World Championships in Budapest, claiming six medals including one gold by Nina Kennedy in the pole vault. A number of Australian and Oceania records were set throughout the year, including a national discus mark of 68.43m by Matt Denny at the Wanda Diamond League Final.
<h3>Botswana (Botswana Athletics Association, Africa)</h3>
The Botswana Athletics Association&rsquo;s work with athletes including sprinter Letsile Tebogo showed in 2023 as the 20-year-old &ndash; a two-time world U20 100m champion &ndash; became a senior world medallist, claiming 100m silver and 200m bronze in Budapest. With his performance, Tebogo became the first African man to claim a 100m medal and the first man from Botswana to win a medal in any event at the World Athletics Championships.
Having trained and developed locally, Tebogo represents a positive role model for aspiring athletes all over the African continent.
<h3>Chile (Federacion Atletica de Chile, South America)</h3>
In 2023 Chile hosted the Pan American Games as well as five World Athletics Continental Tour Challenger events. The Federacion Atletica de Chile has been able to encourage Chilean athletics with a shared vision for the future &ndash; one which respects the autonomy of each region, led by some key figures across the country. Statistics indicate that athletics participation in Chile has doubled, helped by the development of events and the training of new coaches.
The federation has also continued its work on training officials and developing its Kids&rsquo; Athletics programme.
<h3>Spain (Real Federacion Espanola de Atletismo, Europe)</h3>
The federation&rsquo;s athletes were successful at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, winning five medals. Four of those were gold, with Alvaro Martin and Maria Perez both claiming two titles each, in the 20km and 35km race walk events.
Innovative formats and projects at national and grassroots levels were introduced and there was an increase in membership participation for licensed athletes, business partners and social media. The Real Federacion Espanola de Atletismo has also been working towards key objectives of the World Athletics World Plan, including in safeguarding and gender leadership.
<h3>Thailand (Athletic Association of Thailand, Asia)</h3>
In 2023 Bangkok was the host city for the 25th Asian Athletics Championships, while the capital also held the Asian Athletics Association's 50-year celebration.
The federation has helped the Asian Athletics Association to establish its headquarters at Thammasat University in Bangkok, where development activities are held for the whole area, and it is likely to develop into a state-of-the-art facility in the future. A participant in the Kids&rsquo; Athletics programme, the Athletic Association of Thailand is also working to develop athletics at grassroots level.
<h3>United States (USA Track &amp; Field, NACAC)</h3>
In another successful year, US athletes claimed 29 medals at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, topping the medal table and achieving two championship records and a world record. Other leading performances throughout 2023 included a world record by Ryan Crouser in the shot put and 12 national records.
Eugene hosted the Wanda Diamond League Final, while there were World Athletics Continental Tour Gold events in Los Angeles and New York, plus World Indoor Tour meetings in Boston and New York. The federation undertook impactful grassroots programmes, developed pathways for coaches and officials, and continued its work on growing commercial revenue for the sport.
World Athletics

Six finalists have been nominated for the Member Federations Award

Nominees announced for 2023 Member Federations Award

As the World Athletics Awards 2023 draws near, we&rsquo;re shining a spotlight on the 10 finalists &ndash; five men and five women &ndash; for the World Athlete of the Year awards.
Today the focus is on Ethiopian marathon runner Tigist Assefa.
&nbsp;
Tigist Assefa raced just once in 2023. But what a race it was.
Her performance at the BMW Berlin Marathon made people reconsider what was possible over the classic distance. She smashed the world record by two minutes and 14 seconds, winning in 2:11:53.
Just 12 months prior, she won on the streets of German capital, setting a course record of 2:15:37 in what was her first serious attempt at the marathon.
This time, lining up as defending champion, more was expected of the Ethiopian. But even with higher expectations, she still managed to send shockwaves throughout the sport.
Her first 10km &ndash; 31:44 &ndash; was swift. But even that proved to be her slowest part of the race. She covered the next three 10km sections in 31:07, 31:20 and 31:02, and her pace was still increasing as she charged through the finish line, finishing almost six minutes ahead of her nearest rival.
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After covering the first half in an astonishing 1:06:20, her second half was even quicker at 1:05:33 &ndash; a time that just seven women have bettered this year in a standalone half marathon.
&ldquo;In the first half, I saved some energy for the second part,&rdquo; said Assefa, a former 800m specialist, who ditched track running because of persistent injuries. &ldquo;I trained for six months for this race. Now I think I will be nominated for the Olympic Games.&rdquo;
Assefa&rsquo;s revision of the world marathon record was the biggest single improvement on the mark for 40 years. It was only as recent as 1967 when the 2:12 barrier was first broken by a man; no other men&rsquo;s world record from that era has yet been achieved by a woman.
What makes Assefa&rsquo;s performance all the more remarkable is that she is still relatively new to road running.
She was an 800m specialist up to and including 2016, representing Ethiopia at the 2014 African Championships (she finished fourth) and at the 2016 Olympic Games (she exited in the heats).
Soon after, her career progress began to stall due to injuries caused by frequent use of racing spikes. It forced her to rethink her options in the sport, and she decided to attempt a switch to road racing.
It proved a wise move, and she responded well to the move up in distance and the change of terrain.
She entered a low-key 10km race in Dubai at the end of 2018, clocking 34:35. In 2019, with more miles under her belt, she reduced her 10km PB to 31:45 and ran a highly promising 1:08:24 on her half marathon debut in Valencia.
She and her coach soon realised: the longer the distance, the better her results. And there are few better performances in the world of athletics than a 2:11:53 marathon.
&nbsp;
&bull; The World Athletes of the Year will be announced on World Athletics&rsquo; social media platforms on 11 December as part of the World Athletics Awards 2023 &ndash; and you and a friend can be part of the celebrations.
One lucky person and a companion will win a once-in-a-lifetime VIP trip to Monaco during the annual World Athletics Awards.
The winners of the fan VIP trip will get to spend three nights (9-11 December) in Monaco and meet the best athletes of 2023 in person. Flights, accommodation and evening meals will all be included.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/news/news/win-a-vip-trip-to-monaco?utm_source=Editorial&amp;utm_medium=Web&amp;utm_campaign=VIP-Trip&amp;utm_content=Bannerads" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Enter now</a>

Shining the spotlight on world marathon record-holder Tigist Assefa

Focus on finalists: Tigist Assefa

The names of the five finalists for Men&rsquo;s World Athlete of the Year honours have been confirmed, as the countdown to the World Athletics Awards 2023 continues.
The five athletes, who represent four countries from four area associations, have achieved sensational performances across a range of athletics disciplines in 2023, winning titles and breaking world records at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23, one-day meeting circuits, Label road races and other events around the world.
The finalists are (in alphabetical order):
Neeraj Chopra, IND, javelin &middot; World champion &middot; Asian Games champion
Ryan Crouser, USA, shot put &middot; World champion &middot; World record
Mondo Duplantis, SWE, pole vault &middot; World champion &middot; Diamond League champion with world record
Kelvin Kiptum, KEN, marathon &middot; London and Chicago Marathon winner &middot; Marathon world record breaker
Noah Lyles, USA, 100m/200m &middot; World 100m and 200m champion &middot; World leader and undefeated in six finals at 200m
<h3>Voting procedure for 2023 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 2 million votes were registered.
Voting closed on 28 October.
The World Athletes of the Year will be announced on World Athletics&rsquo; platforms on 11 December, as part of the World Athletics Awards 2023.
<h3>Be part of the celebrations</h3>
One lucky person and a companion will win a once-in-a-lifetime VIP trip to Monaco during the annual World Athletics Awards.
The winners of the fan VIP trip will get to spend three nights (9-11 December) in Monaco and meet the best athletes of 2023 in person. Flights, accommodation and evening meals will all be included.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/news/news/win-a-vip-trip-to-monaco?utm_source=Editorial&amp;utm_medium=Web&amp;utm_campaign=VIP-Trip&amp;utm_content=Bannerads" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Enter now</a>
World Athletics

The names of the five finalists for Men’s World Athlete of the Year honours have been confirmed

Finalists announced for Men's World Athlete of the Year 2023

The names of the five finalists for Women&rsquo;s World Athlete of the Year honours have been confirmed, as the countdown to the World Athletics Awards 2023 continues.
The five athletes, who represent five countries from four area associations, have achieved sensational performances across a range of athletics disciplines in 2023, winning titles and breaking world records at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23, one-day meeting circuits, Label road races and other events around the world.
The finalists are (in alphabetical order):
Tigist Assefa, ETH, marathon &middot; Berlin marathon winner &middot; World marathon record
Femke Bol, NED, 400m/400m hurdles &middot; World 400m hurdles champion &middot; World indoor 400m record
Shericka Jackson, JAM, 100m/200m &middot; World 200m champion and 100m silver medallist &middot; Diamond League 100m and 200m champion
Faith Kipyegon, KEN, 1500m/mile/5000m &middot; World 1500m and 5000m champion &middot; World records at 1500m, mile and 5000m
Yulimar Rojas, VEN, triple jump &middot; World champion &middot; Diamond league champion
<h3>Voting procedure for 2023 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 2 million votes were registered.
Voting closed on 28 October.
The World Athletes of the Year will be announced on World Athletics&rsquo; platforms on 11 December, as part of the World Athletics Awards 2023.
<h3>Be part of the celebrations</h3>
One lucky person and a companion will win a once-in-a-lifetime VIP trip to Monaco during the annual World Athletics Awards.
The winners of the fan VIP trip will get to spend three nights (9-11 December) in Monaco and meet the best athletes of 2023 in person. Flights, accommodation and evening meals will all be included.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/news/news/win-a-vip-trip-to-monaco?utm_source=Editorial&amp;utm_medium=Web&amp;utm_campaign=VIP-Trip&amp;utm_content=Bannerads" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Enter now</a>
World Athletics

The names of the five finalists for Women’s World Athlete of the Year honours have been confirmed

Finalists announced for Women's World Athlete of the Year 2023 

As the countdown to the World Athletics Awards 2023 continues, we shine a spotlight on the three women and three men who have been nominated for this year&rsquo;s Rising Star awards.
In the final of three features, we profile&nbsp;Serbia&rsquo;s Angelina Topic and Kenya&rsquo;s Emmanuel Wanyonyi.
The winners of the Rising Star awards will be selected by an international panel of experts and announced on World Athletics&rsquo; platforms on 11 December.
<h2>Angelina Topic</h2>
A year after claiming high jump bronze at the World U20 Championships in Cali, 18-year-old Angelina Topic made her global senior championships debut and did so in style, finishing seventh in the final in Budapest.
Throughout the year she improved her personal bests in the high jump and the long jump, both indoors and outdoors &ndash; her high jump marks being Serbian senior records.
Indoors, she soared 6.50m in the long jump and cleared 1.94m in the high jump twice &ndash; first in Belgrade, in her second high jump competition of the season, and then again at the European Indoor Championships in Istanbul. It was a performance that secured her a fourth-place finish.
Topic made her Wanda Diamond League debut in her fourth outdoor competition of the year, finishing third in Rabat. Less than two weeks later she was back in Diamond League action, this time in Paris, where &ndash; still aged 17 &ndash; she cleared an outright Serbian high jump record of 1.97m to again finish third.
It was a performance that moved her to sole ninth on the world U20 all-time list.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/654b822fb86c6f2467ab3030.jpg" alt="Angelina Topic competes in the Wanda Diamond League Final in Eugene" />
Angelina Topic competes in the Wanda Diamond League Final in Eugene (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
She would go on to compete at a further five Diamond League competitions, including in Brussels where she equalled her national record and at the final in Eugene where she finished third.
By that point she was competing as the European U20 champion and a World Championships finalist, having won the age-group competition in Jerusalem and then cleared 1.94m on her senior international debut to finish seventh in Budapest.
<h2>Emmanuel Wanyonyi</h2>
Kenya&rsquo;s Emmanuel Wanyonyi was among the nominees for the men&rsquo;s Rising Star honour in 2022 and his continued progression this year has gained him further recognition.
The 2021 world U20 800m champion, who finished fourth in the senior World Championships final in 2022, started 2023 on a high as he formed part of Kenya&rsquo;s gold medal-winning mixed relay team at the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst in February.
That set the tone for another successful year, one in which he secured top two finishes in all bar one of his 11 800m races, including heats and semifinals.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/654b829cb86c6f2467ab3033.jpg" alt="Emmanuel Wanyonyi wins the Diamond League title in Eugene" />
Emmanuel Wanyonyi wins the Diamond League title in Eugene (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
Four Wanda Diamond League wins were among those results, as he triumphed in Rabat, Paris, Xiamen and the final in Eugene. Wanyonyi improved his PB four times &ndash; from 1:43.76, set when winning his world U20 title in 2021, to 1:43.32 in Nairobi in May, 1:43.27 in Paris in June, 1:43.20 in Xiamen in September and then 1:42.80 in Eugene two weeks later &ndash; a performance that claimed him the overall Diamond League crown. It was also a world-leading mark and&nbsp;Wanyonyi ended the season with four of the top nine times to his name.
Wanyonyi &ndash; who turned 19 on 1 August &ndash; also now sits fifth on the world U20 all-time list.
As well as fast times, Wanyonyi further demonstrated his championship ability in Budapest. Having safely navigated through the rounds, with wins in his heat and semifinal, he lined up for his second World Athletics Championships final. After finishing fourth in Oregon one year prior, this time he stormed to silver, finishing just 0.29 behind the winner.

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

Spotlight on Rising Stars: Angelina Topic and Emmanuel Wanyonyi

As the countdown to the World Athletics Awards 2023 continues, we shine a spotlight on the three women and three men who have been nominated for this year&rsquo;s Rising Star awards.
In the second of three features, we profile Ethiopia&rsquo;s Medina Eisa and USA&rsquo;s Erriyon Knighton.
The winners of the Rising Star awards will be selected by an international panel of experts and announced on World Athletics&rsquo; platforms on 11 December. 
<h2>Medina Eisa</h2>
Ethiopian teenager Medina Eisa is part of a select group of athletes who competed at three World Athletics Series events in 2023.
Following on from her world U20 5000m triumph in 2022, Eisa started her year with a successful outing at the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, where she claimed the silver medal.
Two months later, she won over 5km in Herzogenaurach in 14:46, the fastest ever clocking by an U20 athlete.
From June to September, Eisa focused exclusively on the 5000m. She opened her summer season with a 14:46.60 PB, then reduced it to 14:40.02 when placing third at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Stockholm.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/654a3c1a7623b9776d23445a.jpg" alt="Ethiopian distance runner Medina Eisa" />
Ethiopian distance runner Medina Eisa (&copy; Matthew Quine)
</div>
A few weeks later, she was part of an incredibly strong line-up at the Diamond League meeting in London and placed fourth in 14:16.54, making her the fastest U20 athlete in history. No anti-doping test was taken after the race which meant her time could not be ratified as a record, but it still counts for ranking purposes and is 14 seconds quicker than the long-standing world U20 record held by Tirunesh Dibaba.
Eisa finished a highly respectable sixth at the World Championships in Budapest, then rounded out her track campaign with a 14:28.94 runner-up finish in Brussels &ndash; again, comfortably inside Dibaba&rsquo;s world U20 record.
In October Eisa returned to the roads and placed fourth in the 5km at the World Road Running Championships in Riga. Her 14:41 performance is the fastest ever by an U20 athlete. 
<h2>Erriyon Knighton</h2>
It&rsquo;s easy to forget that Erriyon Knighton is still an U20 athlete, given this is his third consecutive season of making senior global championship finals.
Winner of the Rising Star Award in 2021 and 2022, the US sprinter had another stellar season in 2023.
The early signs were promising; in his first race of the year, he was denied a sub-10-second 100m PB because of a 2.1m/s wind reading. Nevertheless, his wind-assisted 9.98 run &ndash; and a 46.15 PB for 400m &ndash; gave him confidence ahead of his 200m season debut.
He won his first four 200m races of the season, all with sub-20-second performances. He clocked 19.89 at the Diamond League meeting in Florence, then ran 19.95 in Bydgoszcz and 19.77 in Oslo before winning the US title in a season&rsquo;s best of 19.72.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/654a3f989f616da3132150f2.jpg" alt="Erriyon Knighton at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23" />
Erriyon Knighton at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
</div>
At the World Championships in Budapest, Knighton claimed the silver medal behind US teammate Noah Lyles, clocking 19.75. Having finished fourth at the Olympics in 2021 and third at the World Championships in 2022, Knighton&rsquo;s performance in Budapest represented his best ever finish at a senior global championships.
He rounded out his season with two more sub-20-second runs, clocking 19.87 in Zurich and 19.97 at the Diamond League final in Eugene, bringing his 2023 tally of sub-20-second runs to eight.
Knighton now holds the 13 fastest times in history by an U20 athlete; the next best (19.93) is held by Usain Bolt. Knighton also owns 18 of the 24 sub-20-second performances achieved by U20 athletes.

Digital exhibition: 2023 World Athletics Photograph of the Year shortlisted images

Focus on finalists: Noah Lyles

Focus on finalists: Yulimar Rojas

Focus on finalists: Kelvin Kiptum

Focus on finalists: Faith Kipyegon