Countdown
With just five days to go before voting for the 2017 World Athletes of the Year concludes, here’s another look at this year's men’s and women’s longlist candidates, focusing today on those who excelled in the middle and long distances.
Almaz Ayana (ETH) was forced to postpone the start of her 2017 competitive campaign due to injury, meaning she arrived at the IAAF World Championships London 2017 having not competed all year. But she soon blew off the rust just minutes after the gun went for the 10,000m final and went on to win by 46 seconds, clocking a world-leading 30:16.32. Little more than a week later, she took the silver medal in the 5000m.
Mo Farah (GBR) secured a record tenth successive outdoor global distance-running title on the track and it was arguably his hardest-fought one to date. He was under pressure from three opponents, particularly Joshua Cheptegei, on the final lap of the 10,000m at the World Championships but managed to secure victory in a world-leading 26:49.51. His World Championships track career ended with the way it started: with a silver medal. But two weeks after being beaten over 5000m at the World Championships, Farah secured the IAAF Diamond League title at the distance with another memorable finish in Zurich.
Elijah Manangoi (KEN) finished in the top three in all of his outdoor races at his specialist distance, the 1500m, including at the IAAF World Championships in London. He also won a highly competitive 1500m race at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Monaco, clocking a world-leading 3:28.80 to move to ninth on the world all-time list.
Hellen Obiri (KEN) went undefeated at 5000m for the duration of 2017. As well as winning at the IAAF World Championships, she also triumphed at the IAAF Diamond League meetings in Shanghai and Rome, clocking a world-leading 14:18.37 at the latter. She also ran a world-leading 8:23.14 over 3000m at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Monaco. She ended her season by taking the IAAF Diamond League title in Brussels.
Caster Semenya (RSA) extended her winning streak at 800m to 20 finals, winning the world title in London with a world-leading 1:55.16 and at five IAAF Diamond League meetings, including the final in Zurich. She also earned the 1500m bronze medal at the World Championships and ended her season by setting a 600m world best of 1:21.77 in Berlin.
Voting procedure for 2017 World Athletes of the Year
A three-way voting process will determine the finalists.
The IAAF Council and the IAAF Family will cast their votes by email, while fans can vote online via the IAAF's social media platforms. Individual graphics for each nominee have been posted on Facebook and Twitter; a 'like' on Facebook or a retweet on Twitter will count as one vote.
The IAAF Council’s vote will count for 50% of the result, while the IAAF Family’s votes and the public votes will each count for 25% of the final result.
Voting closes on 16 October. At the conclusion of the voting process, three men and three women finalists will be announced by the IAAF.
The male and female World Athletes of the Year will be announced live on stage at the IAAF Athletics Awards 2017 in Monaco on Friday 24 November.
IAAF
