Marathon Record Holder Kiptum Nominated for Male Athlete of the Year Award

Kenyan marathon sensation Kelvin Kiptum, who recently set a new world record, finds himself among 11 men nominated for the prestigious Male Athlete of the Year Award.

Kiptum stunned the athletics world with his remarkable performance at the Chicago Marathon, where he shattered the men’s marathon world record, crossing the finish line in an astounding 2 hours and 35 seconds. This feat erased the previous record held by Eliud Kipchoge by a margin of 34 seconds.

Kiptum, aged 23, achieved a double whammy in 2023. In April, he clinched victory at the London Marathon, setting a new course record of 2 hours and 1 minute and 25 seconds.

Kelvin Kiptum is the sole Kenyan nominee on this prestigious list, going head-to-head with other outstanding track and field athletes who made their mark this year.

The nominees include Sweden’s exceptional pole vaulter, Mondo Duplantis, and Noah Lyles from the USA, both of whom showcased their incredible talents in the field of athletics. Additionally, other contenders for the coveted award are Soufiane El Bakkali from Morocco, Neeraj Chopra from India, Jakob Ingebrigtsen from Norway, Ryan Crouser from the USA, Alvaro Martin from Spain, Pierce LePage from Canada, Miltiadis Tentoglou from Greece, and Karsten Warholm from Norway.

The Male Athlete of the Year will be determined through a three-tier voting process, with the World Athletics Council and the World Athletics Family casting their votes via email.

Fans worldwide will have the opportunity to vote for their favourite athlete online through the World Athletics social media platforms. Interactions such as ‘likes’ on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, or retweets on Twitter, will be considered as votes.

The results will be a blend of these votes: 50% from the World Athletics Council, and 25% each from the World Athletics Family and the public. The voting period closes at midnight on October 28, with the announcement of the five male and female finalists set for November 13 and 14.

The winners of the Male and Female Athlete of the Year Awards will be unveiled on December 11 through World Athletics’ official social media channels.