Chebet favored to succeed Kipyegon as World Athletics unveils nominees for Track Athlete of the Year 2024
Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet, the Olympic 5000m and 10,000m champion is favoured to succeed her countrywoman, Faith Kipyegon as the World Athletics’ Track Athlete of the Year 2024.
Chebet is one of six women nominated for the award and the 24-year-old will battle Kipyegon, Julien Alfred, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Marileidy Paulino and Gabby Thomas for the award.
In a year in which three of the six nominees broke world records, Chebet, Kipyegon and American, McLaughlin-Levrone, winner of the award in 2022, are seen as the frontrunners for the award and the Kenyan is tipped to edge it with her historic 5000m and 10,000m double at the Olympics.
A world record performance has always been the deciding factor in a season all the nominees have been crowned either World or Olympic champion and the trio of Chebet, Kipyegon and McLaughlin-Levrone broke the 10,000m, 1,500m and 400m huddles World record respectively.
Chebet became the first and only woman to break 29 minutes in the 10,000m when she ran 28:54.14 to set a new world record at the Prefontaine Diamond League meeting in May while McLaughlin-Levrone rewrote her own 400m hurdles world record on her way to winning the Olympic title in Paris, running an incredible 50.37, seen as one of the greatest performances ever by a woman, second only to the 2:09:56 Ruth Chepngetich ran o win the Chicago marathon this month.
Kipyegon also broke her own world record in the 1500m when she ran 3:49.04 at the Meeting De Paris Diamond League meeting in Paris and became the first woman in the history of the event to break 3:50.
The other contenders are Alfred, the sprinter from Saint Lucia who won the 100m gold at the Olympics and the 60m crown at the World indoor championships.
Kipyegon also broke the 1,500m world record in addition to winning an unprecedented third Olympic title in the event in a row.
Dominican Republic’s Paulino won the 400m gold at the Olympics and was crowned Diamond League champion while Thomas won the Olympic 200m gold and was also in the USA team that won the 4x100m and 4x400m gold at the same event.
