NEW DELHI: Despite winning the Olympic 100m title, Noah Lyles will not compete for the World Athlete of the Year award. World Athletics announced the finalists on Monday, and Lyles was not among the top two male track athletes.
Letsile Tebogo of Botswana, the 200m Olympic champion, and Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway, the 5000m Olympic champion, secured the two finalist spots.
Lyles won a close 100m race against Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson in Paris, securing the gold by a mere five thousandths of a second.
However, he only managed a bronze medal in the 200m, finishing behind Tebogo and fellow American Kenny Bednarek. Lyles later revealed he competed in the 200m despite testing positive for Covid-19.
The winners will be determined by a final round of voting open to the public. Fans can cast their votes from Monday until November 10th.
“In a new addition to this year’s awards, a final round of votes cast by fans of the sport from Monday until November 10 will decide the overall World Athlete of the Year,” stated World Athletics.
Finalists
Women’s track athlete of the year
Julien Alfred (LCA) – Olympic 100m champion
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA) – Olympic 400m hurdles champion
Men’s track athlete of the year
Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) – Olympic 5000m champion
Letsile Tebogo (BOT) – Olympic 200m champion
Women’s field athlete of the year
Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR) – Olympic high jump champion
Nafissatou Thiam (BEL) – Olympic heptathlon champion
Men’s field athlete of the year
Mondo Duplantis (SWE) – Olympic pole vault champion
Miltiadis Tentoglou (GRE) – Olympic long jump champion
Women’s out of stadium athlete of the year
Ruth Chepngetich (KEN) – world marathon record-holder
Sifan Hassan (NED) – Olympic marathon champion
Men’s out of stadium athlete of the year
Brian Pintado (ECU) – Olympic 20km race walk champion
Tamirat Tola (ETH) – Olympic marathon champion
