Kenya’s Ebenyo shortlisted for International Fair Play award
By Joel Sang, October 31, 202310,000m silver medallist at the 2022 Commonwealth Games Daniel Ebenyo has been nominated to vie for the International Fair Play Award.
The 2022 African Athletics Championships silver winner had himself nominated for saluting Sabastian Sawe as his compatriot, and his rival overtook him for gold.
Ebenyo’s fair play act
“In first place during the closing stages of the men’s half marathon at the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Riga 23, Kenya’s Daniel Ebenyo saluted his teammate Sebastian Sawe as Sawe overtook him for gold,” World Athletics noted.
Letesenbet Gidey of Ethiopia will also contest for the award. Gidey, who secured silver in the women’s 10,000m at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, went back to comfort Sifan Hassan after the Dutch international’s dramatic fall on the home stretch.
Hassan is also on the nomination shortlist because she ‘was gracious in defeat and went on to claim 5000m silver and 1500m bronze’, World Athletics explained.
Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson and Sha’Carri Richardson of the US have been nominated because, after their respective gold and bronze medal wins in the women’s 200m final, they spontaneously embraced in Budapest.
Australia’s Nina Kennedy and USA’s Katie Moon decided to share gold in the pole vault at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest in August after their attempts at 4.95m still couldn’t separate them and thus have been shortlisted.
After finishing eighth in the 10,000m final in Budapest, Jessica Warner-Judd of Britain was the only athlete to wait and shake hands with the final-placed runner, who completed the event some distance behind the rest of the field.
This gesture has accordingly earned her a place on the shortlist to contest for the fair award.
Voting process
The fans are allowed to vote for the winner, and the voting process will be carried out on World Athletics’ social media platforms. The fans’ votes will be combined with those from the jury to determine three finalists for the Fair Play Award before the finalists are announced on November 7, 2023, in Monaco.
The winner will be confirmed on December 11, 2023.