We can’t deny the elephant in the room.
How did Ruth Chepngetich not win a single award at the World Athletics’ annual ceremony on Dec. 1, which bestows three awards to men and women for the best track, field and “out of stadium” (road) athletes in the world, along with an overall honour for Athlete of the Year.
Despite setting an astronomical world record in the marathon and becoming the first woman ever to run a sub-2:10 marathon, Cheptngetich was shut out from both the out-of-stadia award and as the overall best athlete, even though her performance is arguably the single greatest in distance running history. Heck, it might be the single best in sports history, along with Usain Bolt’s 100m and 200m records.
Instead, the global governing body of track, field and distance running selected Olympic marathon winner Sifan Hassan as both the “out of stadium” award winner, and the overall women’s athlete of the year. In any other year, Hassan’s selection would be indisputable and well deserved. But in a year when a single performance in the marathon has so exceptionally altered the trajectory of distance running forever, something feels wrong with the selection.
And it has to do with distrust, from both fans of the sport and now, clearly many voters within World Athletics itself.
Why A World Record Like Ruth Chepngetich’s Should Always Win… But Didn’t
The reality of the situation is that a world record, especially one as astronomical as Ruth Chepngetich’s, should always win. But this year, it didn’t, and here’s what I think about it.
Now, there are two awards to think about here: the Out-of-Stadium Athlete of the Year and the Overall Athlete of the Year.
The Out-of-Stadium award is for athletes competing in events, well, out of the stadium (so on the road), like the marathon and race walking.
We can all agree that Hassan’s performance in the Olympic marathon, where she outsprinted Tigst Assefa for the gold medal AFTER running (and medalling) in the 5,000m and 10,000m just days before, was a sight to behold. It will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the greatest Olympic marathons of all time.
Ruth Chepngetich’s performance, on the other hand, was more than a sight to behold. We’ve seen people win Olympic gold in the marathon before, but what we haven’t seen is a woman ever run under 2:10 for the marathon. EVER.
Chepngetich’s 2:09:56 at the Chicago Marathon was not just a world record. It changed the trajectory and possibility of what is possible for the sport. It was otherworldly.
Where the lines are blurred here is when it comes to Sifan Hassan’s versatility. Not only is she good enough to win the Olympic marathon, but she also won two other Olympic medals, on the track.
The Out-of-Stadium award is for events and athletes outside of the track. This means that realistically, Hassan’s two bronze medals in the Olympic 5,000m and 10,000m shouldn’t even be taken into account for this award.
So, did Ruth Chepngetich get snubbed from the Out-of-Stadium Athlete of the Year Award? Yes, undoubtedly, I think she was robbed of the award.
But what about the Overall Athlete of the Year? Well, this is where I think World Athletics has a bit more cover, as Hassan had a phenomenonal Olympics. But its baffling that the the award didn’t go to Chepngetich.
So how have we arrived at this awkward moment?
The Awkwardness Explained
When it comes to Chepngetich’s record, a clear divide has formed in the running world as to whether or not the performance should be trusted. The first and seemingly louder side of that divide are made up of those who suspect that Chepngetich is not clean and that doping is likely involved in order to produce such an outlier of a performance. For the first time in recent memory, there was substantial and very public conversation within the running world as to the veracity of a too-good-to-be-true performance.
Want to understand both sides of the story? Read our duelling opinions on the controversial marathon world record set in the Chicago Marathon in October:
Read: Opinion: Why It’s Hard To Trust Ruth Chepngetich’s Marathon World Record
Read: Here’s Why Ruth Chepngetich’s World Record Is Completely Plausible: A Data-Driven Analysis
And the cynicism is not without merit. Kenya is now trailing only Russia in its number of doping infractions in recent years, with nearly every suspension levelled at a distance runner. The doping situation within Chepngetich’s country is wildly out of control, and with that comes a great deal of suspicion. It used to be that the skeptics kept their opinions off the record. Now, even some of the most respected voices in running are speaking out (including on this platform).
Conversely, there are those who choose to believe Chepngetich is clean, and of course innocent until proven guilty. I argue in an opinion piece, linked below, that the Kenyan could have conceivably just put all the emerging scientific and technological pieces together better than any marathoner in history, and that she merely cracked the code of how to run a truly optimized marathon. Only time will tell which camp is correct, and the truth is that we may never get full clarity on this record.
Regardless, the fact that World Athletics unabashedly celebrated Chepngetich’s performance on social media and nominated her for its highest award, only to not select her for what is far and away the greatest performance of the year in perhaps any sport is hypocritical and a damning indictment.
Innocent until proven guilty. How can we rob her of celebrating an incredible achievement? This makes us bad as what we are accusing her of being, a cheater.