Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele nominated for IAAF Athlete of the Year

The International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) announced the nominations for the 2009 Athlete of the Year awards. The finalists were selected using a poll of IAAF members.

For the men, the finalists for the Athlete of the Year include Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia, Usain Bolt of Jamaica, Tyson Gay of the United States, Steven Hooker of Australia and Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway. Bolt and Gay are both short-distance runners who specialize in the 100 and 200 meters, while Kenensia Bekele focuses on long-distance races like the 10,000 meters.

Based on their results and popularity in 2009, it would seem that Bolt and Bekele are the frontrunners for this award. Usain Bolt set several world records in both the 100 and 200 meters this year, while Bekele thrilled the running world with his unbeatable performances at the IAAF World Championships in Berlin.

The finalists for the women’s award include Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia, Sanya Richards of the United States, Valerie Vili of New Zealand, Blanka Vlasic of Croatia and Anita Wlodarczyk of Poland. Isinbayeva competes in the pole vault and Vili represents New Zealand in the shot put. Sanya Richards is a 400-meter runner. Vlasic competes in the high jump, and Wlordarczyk is a hammer thrower.

The winners of the Athlete of the Year awards will be announced on November 22, 2009 at the World Athletics Gala in Monaco.