Nigeria’s Tobiloba Amusan expectedly topped the list of five finalists for the Women’s World Athlete of the Year 2022, announced, Monday by World Athletics.
The 25 year old made history as the first Nigerian to win a world outdoor title and set a world record.
She also retained her Nigeria, African, Commonwealth and Diamond League titles to end the year as the number one high hurdler in the world.
Amusan will be competing against two fellow world record setters in 2022, Yulimar Rojas of Venezuela and USA’s Sydney McLaughlin.
Rojas is the World indoor and outdoor triple jump champion. She also won the Diamond League trophy in addition to improving on her world record at the World Indoor championships in Belgrade, Serbia.
McLaughlin broke the world 400m hurdles record twice. She first ran 51.41 at the US Championships before she improved it to 50.68 to win the world title in Oregon, USA.
Also listed is Jamaica’s reigning world 100m queen, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce who claimed her fifth world title in Oregon.
She is also a Diamond League champion in the blue ribband event and ran a world-leading 10.62 among her record seven sub-10.70 100m races of the season.
Race walker, Kimberly Garcia of Peru completes the list.
She is the World 20km race walk champion, winning Peru’s first ever World Athletics Championships medal.
She is also the World 35km race walk champion in a South American record to complete a race walk double.
The World Athletes of the Year will be announced on World Athletics’ social media platforms in early December, as part of the World Athletics Awards 2022.