Qatar’s star athlete Mutaz Essa Barshim, along with legendary British long distance star and South African sprinter were shortlisted for the IAAF’s World Athlete of the Year award yesterday.
Barshim will be looking to bag his second award within a span of just few weeks, having won the Asian Athlete of the Year award at the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) awards ceremony held in Czech capital of Prague last Thursday.
The winner of this year’ IAAF award will collect his trophy at a glittering ceremony in Monaco on November 24. Last year, retired Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt received the honour.
In the women’s category, Ethiopia’s 10,000m Olympic champion Almaz Ayana is the top contender, eyeing a second successive women’s world athlete of the year honour.
She is up against Greek polevault star Ekaterini Stefanidi and Beigium’s heptathlon Olympic and world gold medallist Nafissatou Thiam.
Barshim had a year of great success and was able to add the World Champion title to his name, followed by a series of truly star class acts.
The 26-year-old Qatari high jumper cleared 2.35 metres at the London Worlds in August 2017, exactly a year after he won the silver medal at the Rio Olympic Games.
Barshim’s historic feat in London was followed by a series of top performances, including a world leading 2.40-metre jump at the Birmingham Muller Grand Prix just a week later.
He also went on to finish as the top star of the 2017 Diamond League season with five wins before repeating a 2.40-metre jump in Eberstadt, Germany, for the 11th occasion in his career.
