Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge celebrates after a successful attempt to run a marathon in under two hours in Vienna, Austria, October 12, 2019. /VCG Photo
Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge is among the five finalists for the Male World Athlete 2019 award.
Last month, the 35-year-old Kenyan became the first athlete to run a 42.195km marathon in under two hours at the Ineos 1:59 Challenge in Vienna, Austria.
The award gala will be held in Monaco next week.
"The five athletes, who represent four countries from three area associations, have illustrated excellence across nearly all athletics disciplines in 2019," read a statement released on Monday by World Athletics.
Kipchoge will be up against Uganda's Joshua Cheptegei, Americans Sam Kendricks and Noah Lyles and Norway's Karsten Warholm.
Achievements of the five contenders for Male World Athlete 2019
Joshua Cheptegei, Uganda
- won gold at 2019 World Cross Country Championship in Aarhus, Denmark in April
- won Diamond League 5,000m title in Zurich, Switzerland, in August
- won world 10,000m title in a world-leading 26:48.36 at 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha in October
Sam Kendricks of the U.S. competes in the men's pole vault final at IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, October 1, 2019. /VCG Photo
Sam Kendricks, U.S.
- cleared a world-leading 6.06m to win the U.S. title in July
- successfully defended his world pole vault title at 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha in October
- won 12 of his 17 outdoor competitions, including the Diamond League final
American sprinter Noah Lyles (C) celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win gold in the men's 4x100m relay final at IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, October 5, 2019. /VCG Photo
Noah Lyles, U.S.
- won world 200m and 4x100m titles
- ran a world-leading 19.50 seconds at 200m race set in July in Lausanne to move to fourth on the world all-time list
- won Diamond League titles at 100m and 200m
Norway's Karsten Warholm celebrates setting a new meet record of 46.92 seconds at men's 400m hurdles at IAAF Diamond League in Zurich, Switzerland, August 29, 2019. /VCG Photo
Karsten Warholm, Norway
- won the world 400m hurdles title
- undefeated indoors and outdoors at all distances, including at the Diamond League final and the European Indoor Championships
- clocked world-leading 46.92 seconds in 400m hurdles, the second-fastest time in history
Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge (C) runs during his attempt to complete a marathon in under two hours in Vienna, Austria, October 12, 2019. /VCG Photo
Eliud Kipchoge, Kenya
- won London Marathon in a course record of 2:02:37 in April
- ran 1:59:40.2 for 42.195km marathon in Vienna in October
"The World Athletics Council and the World Athletics Family cast their votes by email, while fans vote online via our social media platforms. The Council's vote counted for 50 percent of the result, while the Athletics Family's votes and the public votes each counted for 25 percent of the final result," said World Athletics.
Kenya's Brigid Kosgei crosses the finish line to win the women's marathon and set a new world record in Chicago on October 13, 2019. /VCG Photo
Kosgei among five female finalists
In the women's ranks, Kenya's marathon world record holder Brigid Kosgei is among five finalists for the Female Athlete of the Year award after the sport's governing body, World Athletics, narrowed down the initial list of 11 nominees.
Kosgei finished last month's Chicago Marathon in two hours, 14 minutes and four seconds to break Briton Paula Radcliffe's 16-year-old world record.
American Dalilah Muhammad, who broke her own 400m hurdles world record to claim gold at the world championships, was also among the finalists announced on Tuesday alongside Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Venezuelan Yulimar Rojas and the Netherlands' Sifan Hassan.
The male and female World Athletes of the Year will be announced at the World Athletics Awards 2019 in Monaco on November 23.
(With input from Xinhua and Reuters)