Jamaica’s repeat double sprint champion Elaine Thompson-Herah is one of five finalists announced yesterday for the Female Athlete of the Year 2021.
The others are Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands, Faith Kipyegon of Kenya, American Sydney McLaughlin and Venezuelan Yulimar Rojas.
Thompson-Herah, who won the 100m and 200m gold medals as well as the 4x100m relay gold, dominated the delayed Tokyo Olympic Games before claiming the Diamond League 100m crown.
She became the fastest woman alive and the second-fastest in history when she ran 10.54 seconds after the Olympics in Eugene and 21.53 seconds in the 200m final at the Olympics, another national record.
Hassan is the Olympic Games 5000m and 10,000m champion, Olympic Games 1500m bronze medallist. She also broke the 10,000m world record this year.
Kipyegon is the Olympic Games 1500m champion, the Diamond League 1500m champion and the national record holder.
McLaughlin won the Olympic Games 400m hurdles gold, was a member of the 4x400m relay gold medal-winning team. She set two world records in the 400m hurdles in 2021.
Rojas, meanwhile, dominated the triple jump landing Olympic Games gold, Diamond League gold, as well as the world record at the Olympics.
According to World Athletics, a three-way voting process determined the finalists. The World Athletics Council and the World Athletics Family cast their votes by email, while fans voted online via the World Athletics social media platforms. The World Athletics Council’s vote counted for 50 per cent of the result, while the World Athletics Family’s votes and the public votes each counted for 25 per cent of the final result.
Voting closed on November 6 and the male and female World Athletes of the Year will be announced at the World Athletics Awards 2021, which will be held virtually on December 1.
