Countdown
Mo Farah and Genzebe Dibaba have amassed the most votes in the middle/long distance category in the first round of voting for the 2015 IAAF World Athlete of the Year award.
Farah successfully defended his 5000m and 10,000m titles at the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015. The British runner also clocked a world-leading time of 7:34.66 over 3000m, a world indoor best of 8:03.40 over two miles and a European record of 59:32 in the half marathon.
Dibaba won the world 1500m title in Beijing, having broken the world record in the event one month earlier with her time of 3:50.07 in Monaco. She also set a world indoor 5000m record of 14:18.86 and took the bronze medal at that distance at the World Championships.
Last month the IAAF Family* was asked to select nine men and nine women from each of the following categories: sprints, hurdles, middle and long distance, road running, race walking, jumps, throws, combined events and multi-terrain.
The longlist will comprise the top-voted athletes in each category. The candidates from the other categories in the world athlete of the year voting will be announced over the coming days.
An international panel of 10 experts** will then select the finalists – three men and three women – the names of whom will be announced on 17 and 18 November.
IAAF
*IAAF Family: IAAF & IAF Council members; IAAF national member federations; IAAF Committee & Commission members; IAAF meeting directors; IAAF athlete ambassadors; athletes’ representatives; top athletes; members of the international press; IAAF staff members and the IAAF’s official partners
**The international panel of athletics experts includes representatives from all six continental areas of the IAAF
