I don't have a very precise rule concerning the age limit for the athletes I consider for nomination to my Rising Stars list. I definitely include 20-year old athletes but on occasion I may include somewhat older ones. I feel that it is not just the age that counts but also when the athlete starts "blooming". With that said let's move top this years list.
The top male rising star is none other than the world champion of the 400 m, B. Kebinatshipi. He not only won the individual race but he managed to bring the gold relay medal to Botswana in a fabulous finish where he passed R. Benjamin just before the line.
M. Furlani deserves the second place. His world title, although obtained in a year where Tentoglou was far from optimal shape, amply deserves this distinction. He gave proof of a great constancy, jumping beyond 8 m in 14 of his 16 competitions this year.
E. Serem is, for me, the rebirth of the kenyan steeplechase. He has been competing at high level for just two years and he is already world bronze medallist. It goes without saying that I will keep a close eye at him.
There are several young athletes that should be mentioned here. H. Troscianka was the revelation of the World U20 championships. He is a very complete decathlete and by progressing technically he will be among tomorrow's protagonists. J. Tharp was only 6th in the 110 m hurdles final in Tokyo but he had won the US Trials in August barely missing a sub-13 performance. E. Nathaniel finished 4th of the 400 m hurdles final of the World's and his time of 47.11 s could have been better were it not for the hurdle toppled by Benjamin into his lane. G. Gout barely missed the 200 m final in Tokyo. At 18 years of age he is considered by many as the new Bolt. I will definitely follow him over the next years.
I will wind up my list with two talented athletes who in a sense did not live up to expectations. Still, they are definitely rising stars. C. Lutkenhaus, born in 2008, created the surprise when he qualified for the US team in the 800 m with 1:42.27. (He did not confirm in Tokyo but this is most probably an effect of the US Trials I have written about on several occasions). Q. Wilson is also born in 2008. Last year he did qualify for the US team and participated in the 4x400 m relay in Paris (although his race was, to tell the truth, disastrous). This year he improved the world best performance with 44.10 s but in the US Trials he ran in 45.39 s missing a place in the final. Let's see what these two will do next year.
F. Cherotich is for me the number one female rising star. In Tokyo she added the world title to her bronze olympic and world (2023) medals she already possesses. Her personal best of 8:48.71 is the fourth best performance of all times. She won the Diamond League final, just like she had done last year (and had 4 more victories in the Diamond League meetings). To my eyes she is the heir of the great B. Chepkoech (just like W. Yavi, who is also kenyan but running for Bahrain).
Tina Clayton qualified for the world championships and went on to win silver in the 100 m behind M. Jefferson-Wooden. Her twin sister, Tia, had not qualified for the individual event in the jamaican trials. She tried to obtain a wild card by winning the Diamond League final but was beaten in by J. Alfred and had to contend herself with a place in the 4x100 m relay. I have trouble separating the two sisters: they are both rising stars.
A. Topic has already figured in my rising stars list. This time she won her place thanks to her bronze medal obtained in Tokyo after a nail-bitting event. Now, I expect a 2 m jump from her, why not already next year.
S. Moraa and A. Werro finished 4th and 6th of the 800 m. They are worth a mention here, all the more so since Werro is the winner of the Diamond League final while S. Moraa had not run outside Kenya this summer. S. Almayew is probably the Ethiopia's response to Kenya in women's 3000 m steeple. She won the bronze medal in Tokyo dipping under 9 minutes. J. Zhang also won bronze in Tokyo with a 77+ throw in the women's hammer throw. She was one of only four Chinese athletes to win a medal, an impressively low number.
And I will finish the women's list again with two twins, Hana and Amanda Moll who tied for 6th place in the pole vault competition in Tokyo. I have been following them since the US Trials. Hana has a 4.81 m personal best while Amanda's is an impressive 4.91 m. As I wrote above, it will be interesting to see what they will do next year.
All in all it was a great year for Athletics. Usually the year after the Olympics is so-so but 2025 proved to opposite. There are many new talents, many more than the ones who figured in my list, and the coming years will be exciting. (Although I cannot make any prediction about the Ultimate Championship that Lord Sebastian has planned for next year. Will it be a success? I guess we'll have to wait till next year to see what happens).
No comments:
Post a Comment