The World Athletics list of athletes of the year is here

World Athletics just published their list of the top ten men and women athletes of the year. Despite the paucity of championships and even high level competitions, the summer season has been rich in results (and the winter-indoor season even more so). So here is the list of the top ten male athletes, in alphabetical order:

Donavan Brazier (USA)

Joshua Cheptegei (UGA)

Timothy Cheruiyot (KEN)

Ryan Crouser (USA)

Mondo Duplantis (SWE)

Jacob Kiplimo (UGA)

Noah Lyles (USA)

Daniel Stahl (SWE)

Johannes Vetter (GER)

Karsten Warholm (NOR)

Since this year I have published my list ahead of that of World Athletics one can compare the two lists and it is clear that I nailed it. All WA athletes do figure in my list. Admittedly by grouping Cheruiyot and Ingebrigtsen as well as Lyles and Brazier I could squeeze one more athlete in the top list, since I have reserved Kiplimo for the rising star award. In fact I am curious: will WA nominate Kiplimo for this award now that he is in the "grown-ups" list? We'll have to wait till December for this. In fact if they do not consider Kiplimo for  the rising star award, then the obvious candidate is J. Ingebrigtsen. I included him in my top list but I could very well have switched him with Kiplimo. 

For the top ten female athletes, again in alphabetical order, the list is:

Femke Bol (NED)

Letesenbet Gidey (ETH)

Sifan Hassan (NED)

Peres Jepchirchir (KEN)

Faith Kipyegon (KEN)

Laura Muir (GBR)

Hellen Obiri (KEN)

Yulimar Rojas (VEN)

Elaine Thompson-Herah (JAM)

Ababel Yeshaneh (ETH)

Here my performance was not stellar: I missed Yeshaneh. I did know about her world record in the (mixed-race) semi-marathon but somehow her name did not spring to mind when I was establishing my list of top athletes. She definitely has her place there, all the more so, since I give an extended list of female athletes which would merit inclusion, before opting for the tenth name. In fact, Bol, Muir and Obiri made my top classification only through this extended list (which allowed me to include athletes like Allman and Dadic). 

I have trouble understanding the absence of Lasitskene from the WA list. She jumped a humongous 2.05 m indoor. Is there an unwritten rule in the WA choice which precludes the inclusion of ANA (i.e. russian) athletes from the top lists? Or has it something to do with the fact that Lasitskene is particularly outspoken. Her remark concerning the lift of suspension of S.E. Nasser "It turns out it is faster to break the rules by missing four doping tests and be freed than remain a hostage to being Russian for many years" must have stung the WA priesthood.

Given the WA top ten one can risk predictions as to the top-five finalists. For the men's list my choice is straightforward: my top four ones, namely Duplantis, Cheptegei, Warholm and Vetter complemented by Kiplimo. Concerning the latter my reasoning is "why put him in the men's list only to be taken out after the first round". For the women's list I will start again with my top three, Hassan, Kipchirchir and Gidey. Rojas is the obvious choice for fourth. And there I would be stuck, were I to base my prediction on my own lists. However given the WA choice I think that the fifth finalist will be Yeshaneh. 

Anyhow by mid-November we will be fixed and I will report as soon as the finalists lists are out. Usually they are accompanied by the rising star lists and I admit that I am eagerly waiting for them.