At the 2023 Athletics season, Sha’Carri Richardson showcased their prowess on the tracks. The athlete after facing doping allegations bounced back stronger than ever. The 23-year-old Richardson surpassed the Jamaican legends, including Shericka Jackson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, to secure her first-ever world title on Budapest tracks.

However, besides Richardson, many other athletes have also showcased their skills on the track this season. Eleven athletes have been nominated for the Female World Athlete of the Year Award. Athletes who hold expertise in various categories, including long jump and javelin, have also been nominated for this prestigious award this year.

2023 Female World Athlete of the Year Award nominees

According to the official site of World Athletics, eleven athletes have been nominated for the Female World  Athlete of the Year Award, and the winner of the prestigious award will be declared “on 11th December at the World Athletics Awards 2023″. Here is a quick season recap of 11 nominees of this year’s award

Haruka Kitaguchi

This year, Kitaguchi, representing Japan, secured the number one spot as a javelin thrower. The athlete who began her season in Hiroshima secured a personal best of 64.50 m. However, the athlete upped her lead at the Paris Diamond League by setting a new record of 65.09 m and also managed to break her national record with 67.04 on the tracks of Silesia. Following this, Kitaguchi also secured gold at the Worlds and Diamond League finals with the final throws of 66.73m and 63.78 m, respectively, recorded in these events.

María Pérez

Last year, Spanish athlete María Pérez faced many setbacks. The athlete was disqualified from the World Championship and the European Championship due to technical issues. However, despite the dismay, Pérez managed to secure her name on this year’s nominee list. The athlete broke her 20-kilometer record by clocking in 1:25:30 and also managed to break the 35-kilometer world record (2:37.15) at the European Team Championship. The athlete also secured two golds at the 2023 Worlds by finishing the 20km event and the 35km event in 1:26:51 and 2:38.40, respectively.

Faith Kipyegon

Kenya’s pride, Faith Kipyegon, broke many records this season. The 29-year-old smashed the 1500-meter record at the Florence Diamond League. The middle-distance runner finished the race in 3:49.11 and moved forward to secure another record under her belt on the 5000-meter tracks of Paris, finishing the race in 14:05.20. Furthermore, the athlete also broke a record for a mile at Monaco by clocking in 4:07.64. Apart from these record-breaking wins, the Kenyan athlete won two golds at the Worlds (1500m and 5000m) and achieved a victory at the Diamond League Finals by clocking the fifth fastest time in history in the shorter event, 3:50.72.

Gudaf Tsegay

At the indoor events, Tsegay stood atop the podium in all three events. The Ethiopian athlete won the mile event in 4:26.16 and struck gold in the 3000m event in 8:16.69, securing her the second position on the world all-time list. Interestingly, maintaining her zeal, the athlete secured wins on various distance tracks: 1500m (Rabat), 5000m (London), and 10,000 m (Nerja). Lastly, Tsegay, who clinched gold on the 10,000-meter Budapest tracks despite facing an injury, sealed her season with a record-breaking win at the Diamond League final. The athlete broke Faith Kipyegon’s world record on 5000 tracks by winning the race in 14:00.21.

Tigist Assefa

Representing Ethiopia, Tigist Assefa has been nominated for the award after the marathon runner showcased her skills on the track at the BMW Berlin Marathon in September. The 29-year-old finished the race in 2:11:53, making it the biggest improvement on the women’s marathon world record in forty years.

Shericka Jackson

The 200-meter queen, Shericka Jackson, maintained her winning streak during this season. Despite the setbacks faced by team Jamaica this year, the athlete defended her 200-meter World Championship title with the second-fastest time in history, 21.41. The Jamaican athlete also secured two silver medals at the World Athletics Championship after finishing the 100m and 100m relay races in 10.65 and 41.21, respectively. However, at the Diamond League finals held in Eugene, Jackson left the fans in awe. The 29-year-old athlete lifted two diamond league trophies by winning the 100m and 200m events in 10.70 and 21.57, respectively.

Sha’Carri Richardson

This year, Sha’Carri Richardson made an extraordinary comeback. The 23-year-old athlete, who faced many difficulties in the past two years, including a ban from the Tokyo Olympics, won her first 100-meter world championship tile with a world-leading time of 10.65. The athlete who stood atop the podium in all races up to mid-July while breaking 10.80 sub at seven events also scored a bronze in the 200m event at the Worlds. The LSU sensation also joined the forces of Team USA to secure gold in the 100-meter relay race with the fourth fastest time in history, 41.03.

Femke Bol

In the 2023 season, Bol, representing the Netherlands, secured many top-notch wins. The athlete broke the 400-meter world indoor record after clocking in 49.26 and also helped the team secure gold in the 400-meter relay race at the European Indoor Championships. Following this in the outdoor event, Bol reduced her European record to 51.45 while winning the London Diamond League and also secured two wins at the World Athletics Championship. On the Budapest tracks, the athlete won the world champion title by running a 51.70 on the 400m hurdles tracks and also joined the forces of Team Netherlands to secure gold in the 400m relay race. Lastly, the athlete sealed her season by winning the Diamond League title in the under-52 sub.

Yaroslava Mahuchikh

At the 2023 World Athletics Championship, Yaroslava Mahuchikh won her third World Champions Cup title. The high jumper representing Ukraine secured gold in 2.01m. The athlete also struck gold at the Diamond League finals with a world-leading time of 2.03m. Apart from these outdoor wins, Mahuchikh has won 15 out of 17 competitions, including the European title in 2.02 m.

Yulimar Rojas

This year, Rojas maintained her dominance on the tracks. The world record-holder athlete representing Venezuela secured wins in Madrid and Oslo and went ahead to secure gold at the Central American Games with a 15.16m triple jump. Following this, Rojas, who extended her world-leading mark to 15:18 in Silesia, secured her fourth consecutive win at the 2023 World Athletics. Despite the iffy start, Rojas managed to jump 15.08m to win the event. In the Diamond League Series, the athlete won the Zurich Diamond League in 15.15m and uplifted the Prestige Trophy on United States soil by finishing the season with a world-leading time of 15.35 m.

Winfred Yavi

This year, Yavi secured his first World Championship title. The 23-year-old athlete, who had to settle for the fourth position in the past two events, secured her well-deserved gold on Budapest tracks. The athlete won the steeplechase race in 8:54.29. Apart from this win, Yavi has stood atop the podium frequently this year. At the Doha Diamond League, the athlete finished the race in 9.04.3 and also won the Diamond League final in Eugene at 8:50.66. Amid this time, the athlete set the second-fastest time in history in an Asian record.

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In essence, this year, all eleven athletes have showcased many extraordinary performances. Now, Sha’Carri Richardson enthusiasts are all girded up to witness the LSU sensation win the last battle of the season as she uplifts the prestigious Athlete of the Year award.

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