Kirani James shortlisted for World Athlete of the Year

Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images AsiaPac

MONACO, October 3, 2011 - World 400 metres champion Kirani James has been shortlisted for the World Athlete of the Year by the sport’s governing body, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

James won gold at the 13^th IAAF World Championships in Athletics in South Korea last month in a personal best of 44.60 seconds and also became the youngest 400m world champion at the age of 18.

About one week later he secured the Diamond League in a new personal best of 44.36 seconds.

The IAAF announced the names of 10 men and 10 women who made the shortlist, with the winners to be announced on November 12.

The list also includes Jamaica sprinters Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake, who won the World Championships 100m following Bolt’s disqualification and ran the second-fastest 200m of all time, 19.26 seconds, in the Diamond League meeting in Brussels.

Also included are Britain’s Mo Farah who won the 5,000 metres and claimed silver in the 10,000m at the World Championships, Kenya’s marathon world record holder Patrick Makau, middle-distance runner David Rudisha, German discus thrower Robert Harting and Japanese hammer thrower Koji Murofushi.

American triple-jumper Christian Taylor and compatriot Jesse Williams, who competes in the high jump, also made the shortlist.

The women's list includes heptathlete Tatyana Chernova, who beat Jessica Ennis to claim gold in the World Championships.

She is joined by two fellow Russians, high jumper Anna Chicherova and javelin thrower Maria Abakumova, American duo Lashinda Demus and Carmelita Jeter, New Zealand shot-putter Valerie Adams and Jamaican sprinter Veronica Campbell-Brown.

Kenyan long distance runner Vivian Cheruiyot, Botswanan 400m runner Amantle Montsho, who won her country's first ever gold medal at the World Championships, and Australian sprint hurdler Sally Pearson complete the shortlist.

The 10 male and 10 female candidates have been selected by an IAAF panel of eight experts with the winners to be decided by an email poll involving the World Athletics Family beginning today and closing on Sunday October 23, 6:00 p.m. Eastern Caribbean Time.

At the conclusion of the voting process, three male and three female finalists will be selected and announced by the IAAF.

The Council of the International Athletic Foundation will then select the male and female winners from the finalists, with the announcement taking place during the 2011 World Athletics Gala next month.
The email voters will be: IAAF & IAF Council Members; IAAF Member Federations; IAAF Committee & Commission Members; IAAF Meeting Directors; IAAF Ambassadors; Athletes' Representatives; Top Athletes; Members of the International Press; IAAF Staff Members.

Additional reporting: Sporting Life, IAAF