Double World champion Faith Kipyegon has made it to the final five athletes for the 2023 Female World Athlete of the Year.
The Golden Girl of Kenyan athletics is up against world marathon record holder Tigist Assefa of Ethiopia, world 200m champion Shericka Jackson of Jamaica, world 400m hurdles champion Femke Bol of the Netherlands, and world triple jump champion Yulimar Rojas of Venezuela.
The five athletes, who represent five countries from four area associations, have achieved sensational performances across a range of athletics disciplines in 2023, winning titles and breaking world records at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23, one-day meeting circuits, Label road races and other events around the world.
Kipyegon had a sensational 2023.
The two-time Olympic champion in the 1500m broke the world record in 5,000m in the Paris Diamond League meeting in France in June after clocking 14:05.20 obliterating the previous record set by Ethiopia's Letesenbet Gidey 14:06.62 set in Valencia in October 2020. This was only her third race at the distance since 2015.
In the same month, she set a world 1500m record of 3:49.11 at the Diamond League meeting in Florence to become the first woman in history to break the 3:50 barrier in the discipline.
The previous record was set by Genzebe Dibaba of Ethiopia on July 17, 2015, in Monaco and had stood at 3:50:07
In July this, Kipyegon was not done just year as she broke the one-mile record by posting 4:07.64 in Monaco beating the old mark of 4:12.33 set by Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan at the same venue
She continued with her phenomenal performance at the World Championships in Budapest Hungary in August by becoming the first woman to win gold medals in both the 1500 and 5000m race at the World Championships.
She bagged her third word title following triumphs in Doha and Oregon by registering 3:54.87 in the 1500m and then clocking 14:53.88 in the 5000m.
Her impressive form continued in the season-ending Diamond League race in Oregon in September, where she retained her trophy and followed up with a bronze in the World Road running championships in Riga Latvia in October.
The winner will be announced on December 11 as part of the World Athletics Awards 2023.
