Ruth Chepngetich is the only Kenyan athlete who has progressed to the final of the World Athlete of the Year 2024 Awards, according to a list released by the organizers on Monday evening.
Chepngetich will compete for the prestigious award in the female out of stadium category with Dutch speedster Sifan Hassan.
The 30-year-old runner recently lowered the women’s marathon world record from 2:11:53 to 2:09:56 in Chicago.
Besides that historic achievement, Chepngetich also won a couple of road races including clocking the first ever Half Marathon on South America soil.
On the other hand, Hassan overcame a star studded field that had the likes of Tigst Assefa and Hellen Obiri in the Paris Olympic Games to clinch the prestigious title.
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Meanwhile, five other Kenyans in Beatrice Chebet, Emmanuel Wanyonyi, Agnes Ngetich, Benson Kipruto and Faith Kipyegon have failed to make it to the final in their respective categories despite having stellar seasons.
The decision to pick Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred and United States’ Sydney McLaughlin for the final of the female track athlete of the year award at the expense of the likes of Chebet and Kipyegon has not been received well by most athletics fans across the world, with some of them terming the decision as an unfair one.
American based track and field stakeholder Jordan Guenther described the decision by the organizers as a sad one.
“Don’t get me wrong, Sydney is a great athlete, but athlete of the year finalist for 2024? I think whoever made this decision is blind and I am entitled to my opinion.
As a track and field enthusiast, I am absolutely ashamed, wild mzungu is sad and disgusted,” he commented on his social media platforms.
Kenyan sports journalist Ayumba Ayodi stated that the organizers have “pulled the rug from Kenyans feet again just like they did in 2023.”
“This is madness… how can Beatrice Chebet not be considered?! 2 x world records this year, first woman under 29:00 on the 10 000m, 2 x Olympic INDIVIDUAL medals from Paris this year!” Cuan Walker, Running TV commentator posted.
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Chebet registered impressive performances this year that saw her win two Olympic Games gold medals in the 5000m and 10000m disciplines.
The multiple World Athletics Cross Country Championships winner also set a new 10000m world record and won the Diamond League trophy.
As for Kipyegon, she won two Olympic Games medal (a gold and silver medals in the 1500m and 5000m categories).
World Athlete of the Year 2024 Awards
Male track athlete of the year
Letsile Tebogo (Botswana)
Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Norway)
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Female track athlete of the year
Julien Alfred (Saint Lucia)
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA)
Male field athlete of the year
Mondo Duplantis (Sweden)
Miltiadis Tentoglou (Greece)
Female field athlete of the year
Nafissatou Thiam (Belgium)
Yaroslava Mahuchikh (Ukraine)
Female out of stadium athlete of the year
Sifan Hassan (Netherlands)
Ruth Chepngetich (Kenya)
Male out of stadium athlete of the year
Tamirat Tola (Ethiopia)
Brian Pintado (Ecuador)
