Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Shericka Jackson and Shaunae Miller-Uibo have been named among the 10 women nominated for 2022 World Athletics’ Female Athlete of the Year Award.
World Athletics released the list of nominees on Wednesday.
Fraser-Pryce created history last season winning her fifth 100m World title which made her the first running athlete to win five titles since the World Championships began in 1983.
At age of 35, the Jamaican was also the oldest woman to win a sprint title.
Away from the championships, Fraser-Pryce also ran faster than 10.7 seconds a record seven times including a world-leading 10.62 during the season.
The previous record of four was set by compatriot Elaine Thompson-Herah in 2021.
Fraser-Pryce also won a fifth Diamond League trophy in Zurich.
Jackson, 28, won her first global individual sprint title when she ran a world-leading 21.45 to win the 200m at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
The time was the second fastest in history, was a new national record and was the fastest time run over the distance since Florence Griffith-Joyner ran the world record of 21.34 in 1988.
Jackson also won the 200m 200m Diamond League.
Miller-Uibo, meanwhile, was a three-time champion in 2022, winning the World Indoor 400m title in March and the World 400m title in July and the NACAC title in August.
But while the Caribbean athletes’ accomplishments have been impressive, it will take some doing to walk away with the AOY title as also among the nominees is the super-talented American Sydney McLaughlin, who broke the world record in the 400m hurdles twice during the season.
First, she ran a new world record of 51.41 at the US Championships and then lowered it to 50.68 at the World Championships where she also won gold as a member of the USA’s 4x400m relay team.
Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan ran a world-record 12.12 at the World Championships and went on to win her first global title in the final. She followed up by winning her second Commonwealth Games title in a new championship record and then the Diamond League trophy.
Venezuela’s Yulimar Rojas won world titles indoors and outdoors and improved her on her own world record taking it to 15.74m. She was also the Diamond League champion.
Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon is also among the nominees as she won the World title and the Diamond League title in 2022. She also became the second fastest woman over the 1500m ever with a time of 3:50.37, which was just 0.3 outside the world record.
World shot put champion Chase Ealey of the USA, Peru’s Kimberly Garcia, the world 20km race walk champion and Yaroslava Mahuchikh, the world high jump champion are also among the nominees.
A three-way voting process will determine the 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, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube this week; a 'like' on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube or a retweet on Twitter will count as one vote.
The World Athletics Council’s vote will count for 50 per cent of the result, while the World Athletics Family’s votes and the public votes will each count for 25 per cent of the final result.
Voting for the World Athletes of the Year closes at midnight on Monday 31 October.
At the conclusion of the voting process, five women and five men finalists will be announced by World Athletics.
The winners will be revealed on World Athletics’ social media platforms in early December.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce parts ways with Coach Walcott, to battle on in 2025 with new team
Five-time 100m world champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is set to continue her illustrious track career for yet another season, despite facing significant injury challenges throughout 2024.
However, the sprinting legend will reportedly do so under new guidance. Sportsmax.TV understands that Fraser-Pryce will be leaving Reynaldo Walcott, the coach she helped establish at Elite Performance Track Club.
Fraser-Pryce, who has been hampered by a persistent knee injury over the past few seasons, made the decision to move on after a reportedly frosty relationship developed between her and Walcott during the 2024 season. Calls and a Whatsapp message to Coach Walcott went unanswered.
Though her next coaching destination remains unclear, Sportsmax understands that the two-time Olympic 100m gold medalist has moved to put together a team to guide her through the upcoming season.
The name of Andre Wellington has surfaced as the person who will be among Fraser-Pryce’s new coaching outfit. Wellington has coached World U20 100m silver medalist Bouwahghie Nkrumie at Kingston College (KC). He was a member of the Racers Track Club between 2011 and 2012.
Fraser-Pryce had been a founding member of Elite Performance Track Club, partnering with Walcott in early 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under his guidance, The 37-year-old sprint queen achieved remarkable success, notably lowering her personal best from 10.70 to 10.60 seconds. In 2022, she became the first woman to run sub-10.7 seconds on seven occasions in a single season and secured her fifth 100m world title in Eugene, Oregon.
However, since that stellar 2022 season, injuries have taken their toll on the Jamaican icon. In 2023, at the World Championships in Budapest, Fraser-Pryce finished third in the 100m, a notable drop from her dominant form the previous year. Her performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics was further curtailed, as she withdrew from the semi-finals for reasons that remain undisclosed.
Fraser-Pryce’s decision to continue competing, despite these setbacks, underscores her determination to finish her career on her own terms.
As the first Jamaican woman to win an Olympic 100m title in Beijing 2008, she has remained a dominant force in global athletics for over a decade. Now, with a fresh team in her corner, the sprinting icon is focused on overcoming the injuries that have plagued her and making yet another remarkable run in 2025.
The news, if confirmed, followed a recent development this wherein Olympic 110m bronze medalist Rasheed Broadbell has also left Elite Performance for the MVP Track Club.
STATHS Class of 1978 and Friends to spotlight school's sports legends in webathon for new medical and counselling centre
The St. Andrew Technical High School graduating class of 1978, along with friends, are joining forces to stage a web-a-thon aimed at raising funds for the construction of a state-of-the-art Medical Counselling and Intervention Centre at the Kingston-based school. The initiative, led by sports agent Claude Bryan as chairman of the project, is a vital step in modernizing the school's outdated sick bay and providing essential health and counselling services for its students.
Operating under the banner STATHS 78 and Friends Incorporated, the group consists of graduates from 1978 and non-78 graduates who have come together with a shared goal of improving the school's infrastructure. The primary objective is to replace the existing sick bay, which has remained unchanged since the school's inception, with a modern facility that meets 21st-century standards, including incorporating green technology like solar energy.
“The reason behind it is that the sick bay that was there, I was told, has been the same since the school started. It’s still the same dimensions with only limited bed space, so we wanted to do something that would benefit the entire student body,” said Bryan.
To kick off their fundraising efforts, the group will host a three-hour webathon on Saturday, November 2, 2024, from 6-9 pm. The event will take on a sporting flavor, highlighting the lives and achievements of 16 sporting legends who attended STATHS. Among these legends are the late Jamaica and West Indies cricketer Richard "Danny Germs" Austin, Olympian Mike Fray, and Reggae Boy Jeadine White. In addition to the tributes, there will also be musical performances throughout the evening.
Bryan emphasized the importance of the event, encouraging people to tune in and support the cause. “It’s our first major fundraising thrust, and we’re encouraging folks to call in or log in, listen, learn, and support the event.”
Supporters can participate in the event by logging in at https://givebutter.com/Z3RPbW. The funds raised will help bring the much-needed medical, counselling, and intervention centre to life, ensuring that future generations of students at St. Andrew High School benefit from improved health and well-being services.
With the backing of STATHS 78 and Friends Incorporated, the school community is hopeful that this initiative will be the first of many steps in ensuring that their students are provided with the best possible care in a modern, sustainable facility.
Olympic silver medallist Matthew Hudson-Smith ties knot with partner Antonia Tyson
British sprinter Matthew Hudson-Smith tied the knot with partner Antonia Tyson in Birmingham over the weekend.
Hudson-Smith and Tyson, a health care worker, got engaged back in 2023.
Guests at the weekend’s festivities included six-time World champion Noah Lyles, World Championship relay medallist and girlfriend of Lyles, Junelle Bromfield, 2019 World 200m champion Dina Asher-Smith, former World U-20 100m champion Adam Gemili and World and Olympic heptathlon champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson.
The 29-year-old Hudson-Smith set a British record 43.44 to take 400m silver at the Paris Olympics in August behind American Quincy Hall.
This came a year after Hudson-Smith won silver at the World Championships in Budapest behind Jamaican Antonio Watson.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
