World Athletics has named the five male finalists in the running for the 2023 Men’s World Athlete of the Year. The award winner will be announced on December 11, 2023, as part of the World Athletics Awards 2023.
In this article, we’ll dive into who has been named a finalist and what they’ve accomplished.
Neeraj Chopra, India, Javelin
Indian javelin standout Neeraj Chopra will be one of the five men duking it out for the award.
Chopra, 25, is a former Olympic champion, and this year, claimed gold at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest after throwing 88.17m.
Chopra most recently took home the Asian title in Hangzhou, China, after a season’s best throw of 88.88m.
Chopra placed second in the Diamond League Final this year after throwing 83.80m, falling just short of the title against the Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch.
Ryan Crousser, USA, Shot Put
Two-time Olympic Champion Ryan Crouser has been shortlisted for the award.
The 30-year-old won the World Athletics Championships in August, throwing 23.51m.
Crouser also broke the world record in the men’s shot put earlier this year in May. Crouser threw 23.56 at the USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix to take the record.
At the Diamond League Final, Crousser was just edged out of gold medal position and took second place after a throw of 22.91.
Mondo Duplantis, Sweden, Pole Vault
Swedish pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis is shortlisted for the World Athletics award after a standout season in which he won all but one competition he entered.
Duplantis, 24, made headlines after winning the Diamond League Final in Eugene, Oregon, breaking his seventh world record at the same time (6.23m).
Duplantis also secured the world title in August at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
Kelvin Kiptum, Kenya, Marathon
Kelvin Kiptum became a household name after his breakthrough year.
Kiptum started the season by recording the second-fastest marathon time, at the time, at the London Marathon, only his second career marathon.
He won the London Marathon, running a time of 2:01:25, just 16 seconds off the world record.
He went on to win the Chicago Marathon, setting a new world record of 2:00:35, bettering Eliud Kipchoge’s world record of 2:01:09 by 34 seconds.
Noah Lyles, USA, 100m/200m
Noah Lyles found his way to the podium countless times this season.
He took three world titles earlier this year in Budapest at the World Athletics Championships in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay.
Lyles went undefeated this year in the 200m and was the world leader in the event.
With less than one month until the winner of the 2023 Men’s World Athletics Athlete of the Year is announced, who do you think it will be? Is there anyone missing from the list who you thought would be here?
Let us know below!
