World champions and world record-breakers Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Mondo Duplantis have been named the World Athletes of the Year. They were the final winners to be revealed as part of the World Athletics Awards 2022, along with the winners of the Rising Stars awards: Serbian javelin thrower Adriana Vilagos and US sprinter Erriyon Knighton.
A delegation from the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA), led by the Director General, Mr Lamine FATY accompanied by the Technical and Development Director, Mr Aziz Daouda, stayed in Lusaka (Zambia) From November 07 to 09, 2022 as part of the preparations for the CAA Congress (April 15 to 17, 2023) and the U18 AND U20 African Championships (April 19 to 23, 2023). They went back satisfied with the mission with the slogan: "Lusaka 2023, let's make athletics different".
Moroccan Soufiane El Bakkali and Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge will carry Africa's hopes for the title of "Best Male Athlete" of the Year 2022. They will face Swedish Mondo Duplantis, Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen and American Noah Lyles.
Nigerian Tobi Amusan is the only African who is selected among the five finalists for the title of "World Female Athlete 2022". World champion in the 100m hurdles, world record holder with 12.12, winner of the Diamond League, the Commonwealth Games and the African Championships, Amusan Tobi has had an exceptional season
Mr Lamine FATY, the Chief Executive Officer of the CAA, and Mr Aziz DAOUDA, the CAA Technical and Development Director are staying in Lusaka, Zambia as part of the preparations for the CAA elective Congress and the Africa Combined U18-U20 championships in 2023.
The CAA Officials are satisfied with efforts made by Zambia to ensure success of these two events. They were received by the Minister of sports, Elvis Nkandu who ensured them that « Zambia is ready ».
It will be the first time that Zambia will host the Africa combined U18-U20 championships the first edition of which took place in Côte d’Ivoire.
Three African women are in the running for the title of 2022 Women’s Rising Star Award . They are the Kenyan Jackline Chepkoech (3000 m steeplechase), Faith Cherotich (3000 m steeplechase) and the South African Mine De Klerk (Weight). The other two finalists are Jamaican Kerrica Hill (100m hurdles) and Serbian Adriana Vilagos (javelin).
Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan and Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon have been nominated for the Best Female Athlete of the Year. Both athletes have been highly performant this season. World champion in the 100m hurdles, Amusan broke the world record for the event (12''12). The 25-year-old Nigerian ended the season with a Diamond League victory. As for Kipyegon, she won her second world title in the 1500m in Eugene. The Kenyan athlete also kept her title in Diamond League. She narrowly missed the world record for the distance. However, a hard competition awaits the two Africans. The other candidates are: Chase Ealey, USA (shot put), Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, JAM (100m), Kimberly Garcia, PER (race Walk), Shericka Jackson, JAM (200m), Yaroslava Mahuchikh, UKR (High jump) , Sydney McLaughlin, USA (400m Hurdles), Shaunae Miller-Uibo, BAH (400m), Yulimar Rojas, VEN (Triple Jump).
The President of the Confederation of African Athletics, Hamad Kalkaba Malboum, recently stayed in Praia (Cape Verde), accompanied by the CEO Lamine FATY and the Technical Director Aziz Daouda to lay the foundations for an Athletics Development center (AADC) for countries with Portuguese as a working language. This is a step forward in the work of developing African athletics.
The Zurich meeting hosted the Diamond League finals on September 7 and 8.
For this final stage of the prestigious meeting, Africa played its part well by winning eight titles.
On the men's side, Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali dominated the 3,000m steeplechase in 8'07''68 followed by Ethiopia’s Getnet Wale (8'08''56) and Kenya’s Abraham Kibiwot (8'08’’61).