Benson Kipruto and Ruth Chepng’etich have been nominated to vie for the World Athletics men’s and women’s Out of Stadium Athlete of the Year awards, respectively.

Kipruto, the Tokyo Marathon reigning champion, will vie against five nominees for this year’s award as Chepng’etich, the Chicago Marathon record breaker, faces the same number of contestants in her category.

“As part of the World Athletics Awards 2024, World Athletics is pleased to confirm a list of five nominees for Women’s Out of Stadium Athlete of the Year and five nominees for Men’s Out of Stadium Athlete of the Year.

“In what has been another memorable year for the sport, the nominations reflect some of the standout performances achieved at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, World Athletics Cross Country Championships, Label road races, and other events around the world,” World Athletics said in a statement.

Ethiopia’s Asefa Kebede will be among the contestants Chepng’etich will face. The Ethiopian is a Tokyo Marathon winner and enjoys a number two marathon time of 2024.

Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands, an Olympic marathon champion who enjoys an Olympic record, as well as Ethiopia’s Tigist Ketema, a winner in both the Berlin Marathon and the Dubai Marathon, are other strong contestants.

Kenya’s Agnes Jebet Ngetich, who enjoys records in both World 5km and 10km and a World half marathon lead, has also been nominated.

Kipruto’s rivals

On the other hand, Kipruto will battle against Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha, who enjoys a World half marathon record and a World 10km lead. Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo, a World Cross Country Championships gold winner and Valencia 10km winner, has also been nominated.

Ecuador’s Brian Daniel Pintado, who is an Olympic 20km race walk champion
and an Olympic marathon race walk mixed relay silver medallist as well as Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia, have also been entered as contestants. Tola is an Olympic marathon champion and has an Olympic record as one of his badges.

“The vote to determine the Out of Stadium Athlete of the Year finalists is now open on World Athletics social media platforms. It will close on 3 November,” the organisers added.