Tobi Amusan in Final Short List for Athlete of the Year Award

Duro Ikhazuagbe

Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan is among the finalists for the Women’s World Athlete of Year.  Amusan is joined on the list by Jamaican sprinter Shelley-Anne Fraser-Pryce, American 400m hurdles gold medallist Sydney McLaughlin and Venezuelan triple jump world record holder Yulimar Rojas and Peruvian race walk double champion Kimberly Garcia.

Amusan dominated in the women’s 100m hurdles this year, setting a world record time of 12.12 secondsin the semi-finals of the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon in July, before taking gold in the final.

The 25-year-old is also the current Diamond League, Commonwealthand African 100m hurdles champion.

Fraser-Pryce won a record fifth world 100m titleas she strengthened her claim to be regarded as the best women’s sprinter of all time.

The Jamaican, 35, also ran the fourth-fastest ever women’s 100mof 10.62 seconds at the Diamond League in Monaco, in a season which yielded a record seven sub-10.70 times.

Garcia won Peru’s first ever World Championship medal when she took gold in the 20km race walk.

The 29-year-old also set a South American record of two hours, 39 minutes and 16 seconds as she won the 35km race to become a double world champion.

America’s McLaughlin broke her own world recordas she won world 400m hurdles gold in 50.68 seconds.

The 23-year-old’s performance took almost three-quarters of a second off her previous best time at a championship where she also took gold in the 4x400m.

Rojas set a new world record of 15.74m as she took gold in the triple jump at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade in March.

The Venezuelan, 27, then claimed a third straight outdoor world title in the event, winning gold in Eugene, Oregon in July.