All six nominees for the 2024 Female Track Athlete of the Year at the World Athletics Awards are Black sprinters who achieved remarkable milestones over the past year in their individual and group events.
Kenyan distance runners Beatrice Chebet and Faith Kipyegon lead the shortlist following their stellar performances at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Chebet clinched gold in the women’s 5000m final, narrowly defeating her compatriot Kipyegon on her Olympic debut.
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The 24-year-old also claimed victory in the 10,000m final, and became the first Kenyan woman to achieve an Olympic double.
Kipyegon on the other hand made sure to carry on her legacy on the world’s biggest stage this year. The legendary sprinter in middle-distance running, secured silver in the 5000m and gold in the 1500m, and became the first athlete in history to win the 1500m at three consecutive Olympics.
U.S. sprinters Gabby Thomas and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone also make the list. Thomas had a standout appearance at the Olympics, where she won gold in the 200m, 4x100m, and 4x400m events, and she remains a strong favorite for the award.
McLaughlin-Levrone also defied the odds by becoming the first woman to defend her Olympic title in the 400m hurdles, setting a world record with a time of 50.37 seconds. She also grabbed the gold medal in the 4x400m relay alongside Thomas, and will be hoping to add more accolades to her locker.
Saint Lucia’s history-maker Julien Alfred is also nominated for the female track athlete of the year. Alfred won gold in the 100m final at the Paris Olympics with a time of 10.72 seconds, which remains the largest margin in a women’s Olympic 100m final since 2008.
The St Lucian sprinter is also the first athlete from Saint Lucia to reach a world championship final and holds the national record in both the 100m and 200m.
Dominican Republic’s Marileidy Paulino then rounds out the list. Paulino clinched gold in the 400m at the Paris Olympics and has accumulated a remarkable 21 medals in official competitions in her career.
She is also the reigning Diamond League 400m champion and will be aiming to cap off her impressive year with this prestigious award.
All of these black sprinters will hope they can clinch the prize yet will have to depend heavily on their fans and respective nations as the World Athletics report indicates that “The vote to determine the Track Athlete of the Year finalists is now open on World Athletics social media platforms – on Facebook, Instagram and X. It will close on 27 October”.
