This is the time of the year when the top-10 lists are published. The IAAF publishes a first list of 10, then proceeds to nominate the three finalists out of which the best athlete of the year is selected.
This year I decided to publish my list without waiting for the one of the IAAF to appear. I will, of course, compare the two lists and even comment on the final choice of the athlete of the year.
As always the first three are given in order, the first being my choice for athlete of the year and then I add honourable mentions without any specific order.
So my male athlete of the year is
E. Kipchoge,
is the author of a fantastic Marathon world record. He was number 2 in my last year's top list.
K. Mayer,
is number two thanks to his great decathlon world record. He would have been number one if he hadn't fouled out in the Europeans (but then he wouldn't have gone for a world record in Talence). I hope to see Mayer in number one in 2020 after the Tokyo Olympics.
A. Samba,
won the third place having dominated completely the 400 m hurdles. He did not lose a single race and came within a breath of the world record (established three years before he was born).
Honourable mentions
A. Duplantis
He won a position along the year's best thanks to his amazing 6.05 m at the Europeans. He had his ups and downs over the season (but then who is the pole vaulter who doesn't) but overall he proved that he is not just the future of pole vaulting but also the present.
N. Lyles
He is for me the best sprinter today (and in any case better than Coleman).
E. Manangoi and T. Cheruiyot
They were the great names of 1500 m this year.
C. Kipruto
He won a place in my list of year's best thanks to his incredible victory in the Diamond League finale running semi-barefoot.
T. Walsh
He is, to my eyes, the most consistent shot-putter today.
F. Dacres
This year was (a long-expected) good one for Dacres. I look forward to his first over-70 throw
The Belgium 4x400 m team
Yes, I feel that this team is worth a place in the top list. With the arrival of J. Sacoor the Borlée family has found the missing piece. Beware of the belgians.
M. Barshim
He had a very good year till the moment he was injured signing, with 2.40 m, the best performance of the year. (D. Lysenko did also jump 2.40 m but his authorised neutral athlete status was revoked due to his failure to provide whereabouts information).
My female athlete of the year is
S. Miller-Uibo
Her domination over 200-400 m was absolute (and she managed to dip under 49 s for the first time this year).
B. Chepkoech
She is number two, having won all but one races in the 3000 m steeple and having signed a great world record. In fact I hesitated quite a lot between her and Miller-Uibo for the athlete of the year title.
M. Lasitskene
She won all but one of her competitions securing both the world indoor and the european outdoor titles. She had 14 victories with over-2 m jumps.
Honourable mentions
M. Ahouré, K. Harrison and I. Spanovic
These three athletes won a place in my year's best list thanks to their first (indoor) world title.
S. Hassan
She made the top list thanks to her european title and her two are records over 5000 m and the half-marathon
E. Stefanidi
She had a low-key winter season (due to a minor injury) but then she was in great shape when it counted, conserving her european title and winning the Diamond League final.
C. Ibargüen
No 15+ jump for her this year but a great 6.93 m personal best in the long jump and victories over both horizontal jumps in the Continental Cup (to say nothing of the CAC Games).
A. Wlodarczyk
This was not the best year for her: she did not throw beyond 80 m this year and did not win every competition as in the previous years. But still she is the best hammer thrower ever.
D. Asher-Smith and M.J. Talou
They signed the best performance of the year over 100m (and the former had an excellent 200 m as well).
N. Thiam
She is always the queen of combined events
Young talents
A young talents list is also customary. It goes without saying that A. Duplantis, being part of the "grown-ups" top list is number one male talent of the year. But if we consider that Duplantis is now playing in the senior arena, then the talent of the year title would go to
J.M. Echevarría
and his amazing 8.83 m (slightly wind-aided) leap (and a world indoor title).
J. Ingebrigtsen
Is in second place thanks and his two superb (senior) european victories.
M. Tentoglou
Won the long jump in the Europeans for his first participation in senior championships
A honourable mention for two young sprinters
J. Sacoor
(the non-Borlée member of the 4x400 m belgian team)
F. Tortu
(one of a handful of white under-10s sprinters)
The female talent of the year is
S. McLaughlin
an impressive low-hurdler: At 19 she is the 10th best performer of all times. (She had participated at the Rio, 2016, Olympics at just 17). Next stop, the world record.
B. Williams
In second place. She dominated completely the U20 sprint this year.
E. Herman
In third place. She won the european championships over 100 m hurdles.
A honourable mention for two combined events specialists
A. Shukh and M. Vicente
I have chose these two heptathletes because of their multi-talented profile. Shukh is an excellent javelin thrower while Vicente won both the U18 heptathlon and triple jump.
I did not include last year's winners, Y. Rojas and K. Warholm for the IAAF, and
S.E. Naser and K. McMaster from my list. All four have by now impressive titles in their prize lists.
This year I decided to publish my list without waiting for the one of the IAAF to appear. I will, of course, compare the two lists and even comment on the final choice of the athlete of the year.
As always the first three are given in order, the first being my choice for athlete of the year and then I add honourable mentions without any specific order.
So my male athlete of the year is
E. Kipchoge,
is the author of a fantastic Marathon world record. He was number 2 in my last year's top list.
K. Mayer,
is number two thanks to his great decathlon world record. He would have been number one if he hadn't fouled out in the Europeans (but then he wouldn't have gone for a world record in Talence). I hope to see Mayer in number one in 2020 after the Tokyo Olympics.
A. Samba,
won the third place having dominated completely the 400 m hurdles. He did not lose a single race and came within a breath of the world record (established three years before he was born).
Honourable mentions
A. Duplantis
He won a position along the year's best thanks to his amazing 6.05 m at the Europeans. He had his ups and downs over the season (but then who is the pole vaulter who doesn't) but overall he proved that he is not just the future of pole vaulting but also the present.
N. Lyles
He is for me the best sprinter today (and in any case better than Coleman).
E. Manangoi and T. Cheruiyot
They were the great names of 1500 m this year.
C. Kipruto
He won a place in my list of year's best thanks to his incredible victory in the Diamond League finale running semi-barefoot.
T. Walsh
He is, to my eyes, the most consistent shot-putter today.
F. Dacres
This year was (a long-expected) good one for Dacres. I look forward to his first over-70 throw
The Belgium 4x400 m team
Yes, I feel that this team is worth a place in the top list. With the arrival of J. Sacoor the Borlée family has found the missing piece. Beware of the belgians.
M. Barshim
He had a very good year till the moment he was injured signing, with 2.40 m, the best performance of the year. (D. Lysenko did also jump 2.40 m but his authorised neutral athlete status was revoked due to his failure to provide whereabouts information).
My female athlete of the year is
S. Miller-Uibo
Her domination over 200-400 m was absolute (and she managed to dip under 49 s for the first time this year).
B. Chepkoech
She is number two, having won all but one races in the 3000 m steeple and having signed a great world record. In fact I hesitated quite a lot between her and Miller-Uibo for the athlete of the year title.
M. Lasitskene
She won all but one of her competitions securing both the world indoor and the european outdoor titles. She had 14 victories with over-2 m jumps.
Honourable mentions
M. Ahouré, K. Harrison and I. Spanovic
These three athletes won a place in my year's best list thanks to their first (indoor) world title.
S. Hassan
She made the top list thanks to her european title and her two are records over 5000 m and the half-marathon
E. Stefanidi
She had a low-key winter season (due to a minor injury) but then she was in great shape when it counted, conserving her european title and winning the Diamond League final.
C. Ibargüen
No 15+ jump for her this year but a great 6.93 m personal best in the long jump and victories over both horizontal jumps in the Continental Cup (to say nothing of the CAC Games).
A. Wlodarczyk
This was not the best year for her: she did not throw beyond 80 m this year and did not win every competition as in the previous years. But still she is the best hammer thrower ever.
D. Asher-Smith and M.J. Talou
They signed the best performance of the year over 100m (and the former had an excellent 200 m as well).
N. Thiam
She is always the queen of combined events
Young talents
A young talents list is also customary. It goes without saying that A. Duplantis, being part of the "grown-ups" top list is number one male talent of the year. But if we consider that Duplantis is now playing in the senior arena, then the talent of the year title would go to
J.M. Echevarría
and his amazing 8.83 m (slightly wind-aided) leap (and a world indoor title).
J. Ingebrigtsen
Is in second place thanks and his two superb (senior) european victories.
M. Tentoglou
Won the long jump in the Europeans for his first participation in senior championships
A honourable mention for two young sprinters
J. Sacoor
(the non-Borlée member of the 4x400 m belgian team)
F. Tortu
(one of a handful of white under-10s sprinters)
The female talent of the year is
S. McLaughlin
an impressive low-hurdler: At 19 she is the 10th best performer of all times. (She had participated at the Rio, 2016, Olympics at just 17). Next stop, the world record.
B. Williams
In second place. She dominated completely the U20 sprint this year.
E. Herman
In third place. She won the european championships over 100 m hurdles.
A honourable mention for two combined events specialists
A. Shukh and M. Vicente
I have chose these two heptathletes because of their multi-talented profile. Shukh is an excellent javelin thrower while Vicente won both the U18 heptathlon and triple jump.
I did not include last year's winners, Y. Rojas and K. Warholm for the IAAF, and
S.E. Naser and K. McMaster from my list. All four have by now impressive titles in their prize lists.
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