22.10.2010

Vote now: Hooker in contention for IAAF World Athlete of the Year

Following a big year on the world stage, Commonwealth Games pole vault champion Steve Hooker is in the running to scoop the IAAF's top honour, the 28-year-old Western Australian-based star this week nominated as one of 10 male athletes to take out the title of 2010 World Athlete of the Year.

But the world, Olympic, world indoor and two-time Commonwealth Games champion can't do it alone - Hooker needs your help to get him over the line.

Voting is now open for the 2010 awards and all it takes is a few clicks to help Hooker on his way ahead of a list of fellow big-name candidates selected by a panel of IAAF experts.

With the help of your votes, which will be added to a poll of IAAF Athletics Family members, a shortlist of three finalists will be presented to a Special Jury of the International Athletic Foundation, who will then make the final selection of the World Athlete of the Year and announce the winners, live on stage, at the 2010 IAAF World Athletics Gala in Monaco on November 21.

Click here to vote

Hooker is joined by the following candidates for the World Athlete of the Year Awards:

Men

Christian Cantwell USA
Suffered just two losses from 24 shot put contests. Winner of world indoor and Diamond Race titles and posted a world leading performance of 22.41m.

Tyson Gay USA
Seven wins from eight sprint finals including the defeat of Usain Bolt over 100m in Stockholm. Ran the third leg of the Continental Cup-winning and world leading 4x100m relay teams.

Steven Hooker AUS
World indoor, Continental Cup and Commonwealth Games titles, plus a world outdoor lead of 5.95m (6.01m indoors).

Bernard Lagat USA
World indoor title over 3000m, Continental Cup winner and North American records over both 3000m and 5000m.

Christophe Lemaître FRA
Winner of the Continental Cup, winner of three gold medals at the European Championships, sprint breakthrough of the year and faster than Usain Bolt at 20 years of age!

David Oliver USA
Unbeaten in 15 finals over the 110m hurdles, including the Continental Cup and six out of six in the Diamond League. Set the fourth and joint-fifth fastest times ever with 12.89 and 12.90.

David Rudisha KEN
Two world records over 800m (1:41.09 and 1:41.01), plus wins at the African Championships and Continental Cup, all part of an unbeaten sequence of 11 finals and four preliminaries.

Zersenay Tadese ERI
World record-breaker over the half marathon and 20km distances with marks of 58:23 and 55:21. Individual and team silver medals at the world half marathon championships.

Teddy Tamgho FRA
World champion and world record-holder in the triple jump indoors (17.90m). Third on all-time list outdoors with 17.98m.

Andreas Thorkildsen NOR
Twelve out of 14 wins in the javelin throw, including the European championships, Diamond Race and Continental Cup plus a world leading performance of 90.37m.

Women

Veronica Campbell Brown JAM
World indoor champion over 60m. World leads over 100m (10.78) and 200m (21.98) and unbeaten across the longer distance.

Milcah Chemos Cheywa KEN
Seven out of 11 wins in the 3000m steeplechase and second in the other four races. Winner of the Diamond Race and Commonwealth Games titles and a world lead of 9:11.71.

Meseret Defar ETH
World indoor and Continental Cup titles over 3000m. World leading time of 14:24.79 over 5000m, set indoors.

Jessica Ennis GBR
World indoor and European champion in the combined events with world leading marks in both the pentathlon (4937) and heptathlon (6823).

Allyson Felix USA
Diamond Race titles over 200m and 400m, world indoor relay gold and wins in 14 out of her 15 individual races.

Fabiana Murer BRA
World indoor and Diamond Race titles in the pole vault. Set three South American records indoors and out.

Nadezhda Ostapchuk BLR
World indoor champion, European champion and Diamond Race winner in the shot put, winning 12 times out of 13.

Olga Rypakova KAZ
World indoor champion in the triple jump. Won the Continental Cup with a world leading and Asian record leap of 15.25m.

Blanka Vlasic CRO
Eighteen out of 20 wins in the high jump, including seven out of seven wins in the Diamond League, victory in the world indoor, European championships and Continental Cup where she tied the world lead of 2.05m.

Anita Wlodarczyk POL    
World record-breaker with 78.30m and European bronze in the hammer throw.

Voting for the 2010 World Athlete of the Year Awards closes on Sunday, November 7.

With thanks to the IAAF