Record-breaker Chepkoech among five finalists for IAAF award

The 3,000m steeplechase World Record holder Beatrice Chepkoech is among the five finalists for the IAAF Female Athlete of the Year 2018 Award.

IAAF had earlier nominated a list of 10 female athletes who excelled in different athletics disciplines to fight for the award which was subjected to a voting process including the public for a period of three weeks.

Following the closure of the voting process, five candidates made it to the final list with another equal number missing out including the two time 800m Olympic Champion Caster Semenya of South Africa.

Chepkoech made the cut being the only African in the lot following her brilliant form this year where she managed to win silver in 1,500m in the Commonwealth Games held in Gold Coast, Australia in April clocking 4:03.09, behind South Africa’s Caster Semenya (4:00.71)

Four months later she won a gold medal in the African Championships held in Asaba, Nigeria in August after returning to her preferred 3,000m race where she clocked 8:59.88.

The highlight of the 27 year old was in July 20 when she smashed the World Record of 8:52.78 held by Kenyan born Ruth Jebet of Bahrain by clocking 8:44.32 at the 10th IAAF Diamond League meeting held in Monaco, France.

The Kericho-based athlete will however face off with other four candidates for the prestigious  award including Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smit who is the Commonwealth Games 4x100m gold medalist as well as the Games’ 200m bronze medalist.

A three-way voting process determined the finalists.

The IAAF Council and the IAAF Family cast their votes by email, while fans voted online via the IAAF’s social media platforms. The IAAF Council’s vote counted for 50% of the result, while the IAAF Family’s votes and the public votes each counted for 25% of the final result. Voting closed on 12 November.

The winner of the award will be announced live on stage at the IAAF Athletics Awards 2018 on 4 December in Monaco.

The male finalists will be announced on Tuesday, November 20.

Full list of the finalists;

Dina Asher-Smith (GBR)

– European champion and world leader at 100m, 200m and 4x100m

– Second over 100m in the IAAF Diamond League final and IAAF Continental Cup

– Commonwealth Games 4x100m gold and 200m bronze

Beatrice Chepkoech (KEN)

– World steeplechase record by eight seconds, backed up by the third-quickest mark of all time

– Winner of seven out of eight steeplechase finals including the IAAF Continental Cup, African Championships and IAAF Diamond League final

– Commonwealth Games silver at 1500m

Caterine Ibarguen (COL)

– IAAF Continental Cup winner, IAAF Diamond League champion and Central American and Caribbean champion at both long jump and triple jump

– World lead and unbeaten in eight finals at triple jump

Shaunae Miller-Uibo (BAH)

– Unbeaten across five events in 15 races (13 finals and 2 preliminaries), including a 200m/4x100m double at the IAAF Continental Cup

– World lead and three wins at 400m with the world’s fastest time since 2009

– Commonwealth Games and IAAF Diamond League champion at 200m

– World bests at indoor 300m and 150m straight

Nafissatou Thiam (BEL)

– European champion, world lead and unbeaten at heptathlon

– World number three at high jump