The Rio Olympics will be remembered around the world for a number of reasons, but here at home it’s Caster and Wayde’s achievements that tend to stick out.
Wayde may yet see a stadium named after him (HERE), but this latest accolade is pretty sweet.
In honour of their fantastic performances, both have been nominated by the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) for 2016 World Athlete of the Year.
An international panel of experts made the picks, and the awards will be handed out in Monaco on December 2.
The full list of nominees from TimesLive:
MEN
Usain Bolt (JAM) Thiago Braz da Silva (BRA) Ashton Eaton (USA) Mo Farah (GBR) Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) Conselsus Kipruto (KEN) Omar McLeod (JAM) David Rudisha (KEN) Christian Taylor (USA) Wayde van Niekerk (RSA)
WOMEN
Almaz Ayana (ETH) Ruth Beitia (ESP) Vivian Cheruiyot (KEN) Kendra Harrison (USA) Caterine Ibarguen (COL) Ruth Jebet (BRN) Sandra Perkovic (CRO) Caster Semenya (RSA) Elaine Thompson (JAM) Anita Wlodarczyk (POL)
There’s a three-way voting system used to select the winner, and this is where you and I can do our bit to thank these national treasures.
50% of the vote comes from the IAAF Council, 25% comes from the IAAF Family’s votes, and the final 25% of the vote comes from the general public.
That public voting will take place via social media, with this from IAAF’s official site:
Individual graphics for each nominee will be posted on Facebook and Twitter later this week; a ‘like’ or ‘favourite’ will count as one vote.
Voting will close on November 1 – keep an eye on those platforms, click that mouse and see if we can propel them to victory.
Amandla.
