“MONDO” DUPLANTIS AND McLAUGHLIN WIN ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD

Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan missed out of the World Athletics Athletes of the Year as Sydney McLaughlin – Levrone and Armand Duplantis were named 2022 Award winners.

McLaughlin – Levrone, who lowered her 400m hurdles world record twice this year, won the award for the first time. Sydney who had a fantastic season with her sterling performance, became the first American to win Athlete of the Year since fellow 400m hurdler Dalilah Muhammad in 2019.

She outshined other finalists who were Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan , who broke the 100m hurdles world record en route to the World Championships title, Jamaica’s Shelly- Ann Fraser- Pryce, claimed her fifth world 100m title, the 35 year-old who runs 60m, 100m and 200m, obviously might have been picked by some pundits ahead the of concluded award; Peru’s Kinmberly Garcia, who swept the 20km and 35km race walk world titles and Venezuela’s Yulimar Rojas, who broke her own triple jump world record. She also swept the Indoor and Outdoor world titles.

In the men’s title of the World Athletics Athletes Award, Armand Duplantis, Louisiana- raised Swede won the title for the second time in three years.  Gusta ‘Mondo’ upped his Pole Vault record three times in 2022, with his phenomenal performance he swept world indoor and outdoor and Diamond Leagues titles in the event.

The other finalists were Morocco’s steeplechaser Soufiane El Bakkali, undefeated in 2022, he was spectacular in the 2022 season. Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the world outdoor 5000m champion bracing to a world fastest mile in 21 years, the Norwegian runner was close to it, but ‘Mondo’ Gusta Duplantis made the difference.  Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge, is another finalist, he broke his own marathon world record by 30 seconds, exhibiting tenacity. While American Athlete of the Year winner, Noah Lyles, won the World Championship title in 200m, he also broke Michael Johnson’s 26 year-old national record in the 200m.

Meanwhile, Duplantis is tipped to continue upping his world record going by the Swede star rising performance, which he has applauded his season height achievement,

“It’s probably been by far the best year that I’ve ever had,” Duplantis ‘Mondo’ said.

He won 18 of his 19 competitions, vaulted six meters or higher 23 times.

 Levrone-McLaughlin Sydney the women’s Athlete of the Year winner, “I would describe 2022 for myself by just saying incredible,”

“Everything that we aimed to do we were able to accomplish.” McLaughlin-Levrone said.

The hurdler has expressed her interest to add the flat 400m to her programm in the coming years, although she has never run that event at a senior championship meet. But was brilliant and showed her flat potential in the 4 x 400m relay at worlds in July. She ran seventh –fastest relay performer in history and second fastest in the last 33 years behind Allyson Felix.

While, Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan has thanked her fans, Nigerians and everyone that has made her season a great success, she broke the world 100m hurdles record in a time of 12.12s seconds in the semi- final at the World Athletics Championships in 2022, she went on and ran a wind assisted 12.06 seconds in the final to win the title.