Cheptegei misses out, Duplantis and Rojas world’s best in 2020

📌 #WorldAthleticsAwards 2020

Male athlete of year
✳ 2020 • Duplantis 🇸🇪
Female athlete of year
✳ 2020 • Rojas 🇻🇪

📌 The other award winners

✳ Member Federations Award
Polski Związek Lekkiej Atletyki (Polish Athletics Association)

✳ Covid Inspiration Award
Ultimate Garden Clash, an original idea by Renaud Lavillenie

✳ President’s Award
Tommie Smith, Peter Norman and John Carlos

✳ Coaching Achievement Award
Helena and Greg Duplantis

✳ Athletes Community Award
Athletics Clubs

✳ World Athletics Photograph of the Year
Michael Steele’s photograph of young children competing at the Discovery Cross Country Championships in Eldoret, Kenya

Kampala, Uganda | LOUIS JADWONG |  World record-breakers Mondo Duplantis of Sweden and Yulimar Rojas of Venezuela are the male and female World Athletes of the Year.

They were named at the World Athletics Awards 2020 held virtually on Saturday after a year ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei, who was a strong contender having broken three World records, was for the second year running edged out – this time by pole vaulter Duplantis, 21, who finished the year undefeated in 16 competitions. Last year, Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge was named ahead of Cheptegei.

Duplantis broke the world record in the pole vault twice (6.17m and 6.18m) before producing the  highest outdoor vault of all time of 6.15m.

“It was a really strange season, for me and everybody, but I was able to put it together and get some pretty good results,” Duplantis told World Athletics.

“I think it’s cool when people describe me as the face of the sport, but it’s not something that I need to be or that I must have,” he added. “I just try to go out there, I try to jump high, I try to break world records, I try to just keep improving.”

Rojas on the other hand broke the South American indoor triple jump record with 15.03m and leaped 15.43m to break the world indoor record. “I honestly didn’t expect this, I really cannot believe it,” Rojas told World Athletics.

“This victory means a lot to me and to all of those who work with me every day, everyone who gives me strength and motivation every day. And now, being the best athlete of the year is an additional inspiration for me for 2021. It is going to be a great year and I have a lot of ambition. This gives me a lot of strength to keep on track with my career.”

How voting was done

A three-way voting process determined the finalists.

The World Athletics Council and the World Athletics Family cast their votes by email, while fans voted online via our social media platforms. The Council’s vote counted for 50% of the result, while the Athletics Family’s votes and the public votes each counted for 25% of the final result.

Voting for the Male World Athlete of the Year closed on 15 November.

The awards were hosted by legendary sprint stars Sanya Richards-Ross and Ato Boldon.

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SOURCE: wikipedia