The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE International Amateur Athletic Federation reduced its list of 11 nominees to the final five for the Male Athlete of the Year but, unfortunately, Bahamian Steven Gardiner did not make the cut.

Gardiner, the Abaco native who ended the year as the IAAF's 400 metre champion at the World Championships in Doha, Qatar in September, was the only Bahamian being considered for this year's honours.

The IAAF will announce the winner of the award, along with the women and the Rising Star, at the World Athletics Awards 2019 presentation on Saturday, November 23 in Monaco. Named to the final list of five contenders for the Male Athlete of the Year, who were selected at the close of the voting procedure on November 4, are the following:

• Joshua Cheptegel (UGA), the world cross country champion, who went to post the world-leading time in the 10,000m and captured the Diamond League 5,000m title.

• Sam Kendricks (USA), the winner of the world pole vault title who turned in a world-leading mark and won 12 of his 17 outdoor championships, including the Diamond League final.

• Eliud Kipchoga (KEN), won the London Marathon in a course record and ran 1:59.40.2 for 42.195km in Vienna.

• Noah Lyles (USA), won the world 200m and 4x100m titles, ran a world-leading 19.50 in Lausanne to move to fourth on the world all-time list and won the Diamond League titles at 100m and 200m.

• Karsten Warholm (NOR), won the world 400m hurdles title, went undefeated indoors and outdoors at all distances, including at the Diamond League final and the European Indoor Championships, and clocked a world-leading 46.92, the second-fastest time in history.

Gardiner, the first Bahamian male competitor to be nominated for the award, was among a list of 10 others selected by an international panel of athletics experts, comprising of representatives from all six continental areas of the IAAF.

The 24-year-old was added to the mix after his triumph in the men's 400m at the IAAF World Championships in a national record-breaking performance of 43.48, a day after Shaunae Miller-Uibo finished as the runner-up in the women's one-lap race.Miller-Uibo, a finalist at last year's awards where she was beaten out by Colombia's long/triple jumper Caterine Ibarguen, posted a NACAC area record of 48.37 behind Bahrain's Salwa Eid Naser, who posted a world-leading time of 48.37.

However, Miller-Uibo was not listed among the finalists this year for the women's award. Naser is one of the contenders. The final five for the women is expected to be released today.

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