New Delhi: Olympic and world champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has been nominated for the 2023 men's World Athlete of the Year award by the World Athletics on Thursday.
There are 11 nominees in total, including Chopra, who were selected by an international panel of athletics experts, comprising representatives from all six continental areas of World Athletics.
The nominations reflect some of the standout performances achieved at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, one-day meeting circuits, Label road races, and other events around the world, the international governing body of the sport said.
Earlier this year, Chopra made history by becoming the first Indian to win the gold medal at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest. Later, he finished second in the Diamond League 2023 before defending his title at the Asian Games in Hangzhou.
The other nominees are shot putter Ryan Crouser of USA, pole vaulters Mondo Duplantis of Sweden, 3000m steeplechaser Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco, Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway (1500m/5000m), marathoner Kelvin Kiptum of Kenya, decathlete Pierce LePage of Canada, sprinter Noah Lyles of USA, race walker Alvaro Martin of Spain, long jumper Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece and 400m hurdler Karsten Warholm of Norway.
A three-way voting process will determine five finalists. The World Athletics Council and the World Athletics Family will cast their votes by email, while fans can vote online via the World Athletics social media platforms.
Individual graphics for each nominee will be posted on Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube this week; a 'like' on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube or a retweet on X will count as one vote.
The World Athletics Council's vote will count for 50% of the result, while the World Athletics Family's votes and the public votes will each count for 25% of the final result.
Voting for the World Athletes of the Year closes at midnight of October 28.
At the conclusion of the voting process, five women and five men finalists will be announced by World Athletics on November 13-14 and the winners will be revealed on World Athletics' social media platforms on December 11.
With inputs from PTI