African Excellence: Faith Kipyegon leads Kenyan dominance at the 2023 World Athletics Awards

The 2023 World Athletics Awards witnessed the excellence of African athletes as Faith Kipyegon led Kenyan dominance of the award categories.

The World Athletics rearranged the awards categories this year by naming six athletes in Tigist Assefa, Mondo Duplantis, Kelvin Kiptum, Faith Kipyegon, Noah Lyles, and Yulimar Rojas as the World Athletes of the Year, against just two categories (Men and Women) in the previous years.

According to the athletics body, this adaptation follows the feedback received during the voting process. Many sensational performances – including an extraordinary 23 world records* – were achieved in 2023.

World 1500m Record holder Kipyegon was announced the Female Track Athlete of the Year, winning ahead of Jamaica's world 200m champion Shericka Jackson, and Netherland's world 400m Hurdles champion, Femke Bol.

The double world 1500m and 5000m champion had an outstanding season highlighted by breaking Genzebe Dibaba’s World Record (WR) with a sensational time of 3:49.11. This record set the pace for a clutch of WRs she would later run in the 5000m and one mile, making her one of the most outstanding athletes of the year.

Meanwhile, triple world champion Lyles was crowned the Male Track Athlete of the Year.

The American speedster cemented his place as one of the top sprinters in history. On track, he maintained his position as world 200m leader for the sixth consecutive year and was undefeated in six 200m finals. Further proving his versatility, he closed the season as the joint world leader in the 100m.

Venezuela's Yulimar Rojas, having had another impeccable season was named the Women's Field Athlete of the Year.

Rojas dominated the triple jump event for the third consecutive season, becoming the world and Diamond League champion.

As the reigning Male Athlete of the Year, Duplantis showed beyond doubt this season why he retained the title as the Men's Field Athlete of the Year.

The Swedish superstar pole vaulter improved on his world record indoors and outdoors, successfully defended his world title, and racked up another 20 clearances at 6.00m or higher.

Duplantis also successfully defended his Diamond League title with an improvement on his WR, clearing 6.23m.

Ethiopia's Tigist Assefa and Kenya's Kelvin Kiptum were declared the winners of the Women and Men's World Athlete of the Year for out of stadia events.

Assefa's moment of the year came at the BMW Berlin Marathon in September, when the 27-year-old ran 2:11:53, smashing the world record by two minutes and 14 seconds and achieving the biggest single improvement on the mark for 40 years.

She finished almost six minutes ahead of her nearest rival after clocking 1:06:20 for the first half and an even faster 1:05:33 for the second half – a time that just seven women have beaten this year in a standalone half marathon.

For Kiptum, it took just two races for the long-distance runner to run his way into the history books.

First, he won the London Marathon with the second-fastest time in history in 2:01:25. Less than six months later, he did the unthinkable by breaking Eliud Kipchoge's WR at the Chicago Marathon with an incredible 2:00.35, taking 34 seconds off the previous record.

By doing this, the 23-year-old became the first man to break the 2:01 barrier. His ground-breaking run has already put him in conversations as the face of the marathon in the coming years.

Kenya's teenage sensations Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Faith Cherotich were named the Male and Female Rising Stars of the Year.

Wanyonyi secured an 800m silver medal at the World Championships in Budapest. In addition, the 2021 world U20 gold medallist became Diamond League champion this year, claiming the trophy with a Personal Best of 1:42.80. He also formed part of Kenya’s victorious world cross-country mixed relay team.

Consequently, his compatriot Faith Cherotich claimed the 3000m steeplechase bronze medal in Budapest.

Cherotich, who won world U20 bronze in 2021 and gold in 2022, also moved to second on the world U20 all-time list with 8:59.65 to finish third in the Diamond League Final in Eugene, while she finished fourth in the U20 race at the World Cross Country Championships.