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Kenyan marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge and 1500m Olympic record holder Faith Kipegon were snubbed at the World Athlete of the Year awards announced on Wednesday, December 1, 2021.
The Kenya duo had been named on the final shortlist for awards but the World Athletics Council and the World Athletics Family settled on Elaine Thompson-Herah of Jamaica and Karsten Warholm of Norway.
In a statement, the athletics body said Thompson-Herah was awarded for achieving one of the finest sprint seasons in history this year, retaining her Olympic 100m and 200m titles in Tokyo and adding a third gold medal in the 4x100m relay.
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She also clocked world-leading times of 10.54 and 21.53 over 100m and 200m respectively.
Warholm was rewarded for winning the 400m hurdles and setting a world record of 45.94 sec.
Kenya’s Kipyegon was tipped to win the female category after becoming the third woman to retain her title after becoming a mother in-between the Olympic games.
“When I took time out to have a baby, I took a full year off running: four months before the birth, another eight months after it. Coming back was not easy.
“Your body changes during pregnancy. I gained a lot of weight: I was 45kg before, 53kg after. Things were not as they were before. I lost all my fitness. I was tired all the time. But that doesn’t mean you can’t come back. It just takes time,” she said in a past interview.
On the other hand, Kipchoge was nominated for extending his dominance in the men’s marathon at the Olympics that resulted in him being named best male athlete in the Tokyo games.
Although he missed the award in 2021, Kipchoge is already a two-time World Athlete of the Year.