Olympic 100m champs Alfred and Lyles among World Athletics Track Athletes of the Year 2024 nominees - How to vote

Olympic 100m champions Julien Alfred and Noah Lyles are among 12 track stars long-listed for the World Athletics Track Athlete of the Year 2024 awards.

With the number of events in track, the sport's international federation has unveiled the six female and six male nominees for its awards as per of a revamped voting procedure for the 2024 World Athletics Awards.

Of the 12, five – three women and two men – broke world records this year in addition to winning Olympic gold.

Two finalists in each category will progress to be considered for the overall World Athlete of the Year awards.

The long-listed athletes are, in alphabetical order by last name:

Women's Track Athlete of the Year 2024 – nominees

• Julien Alfred (LCA): In addition to being Olympic 100m champion and 200m silver medallist, Alfred also won the 60m world indoor title in Glasgow in March. Alfred was the first athlete from Saint Lucia to win an Olympic medal of any colour with her gold in the 100m.
• Beatrice Chebet (KEN): Chebet did the distance double in Paris, winning gold over both 5000m and 10,000m. Additionally, Chebet broke the 10,000m world record at the Prefontaine Classic held at Hayward Field in Eugene, USA, in May. In doing so, she became the first sub-29-minute woman over the distance.
• Faith Kipyegon (KEN): The Kenyan won her third straight Olympic title in the 1500m, the first female athlete to achieve the feat in this event. Kipyegon also lowered the 1500m world record, which had stood since 2015, by nearly a full second at the Paris Diamond League in July.
• Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA): McLaughlin-Levrone was already in a league of her own in the 400m hurdles, but at Paris 2024, the American took nearly three-tenths off her own world record en route to winning gold. She also added a second Olympic title as part of the victorious U.S. women's 4x400m relay team.
• Marileidy Paulino (DOM): Already the 400m world champion, Paulino finally added Olympic gold to her list of achievements in Paris as she broke the 28-year-old Olympic record en route to triumphing. Paulino also took home the diamond trophy as Diamond League champion in her event.
• Gabrielle Thomas (USA): Thomas was the most successful track athlete at Paris 2024, winning three gold medals in the 200m, 4x100m relay, and women's 4x400m relay.

Men's Track Athlete of the Year 2024 – nominees

• Rai Benjamin (USA): Benjamin dethroned world record holder Karsten Warholm as the 400m hurdles Olympic champion in Paris, before adding men's 4x400m relay gold to his collection from the French capital. The American is also the 2024 world leader in the event, running 46.46 at the U.S. Trials in June.
• Grant Holloway (USA): After a shock defeat in Tokyo three years ago, Holloway finally took the 110m hurdles Olympic crown in Paris. But he also tasted success on the indoor circuit, setting the 60m hurdles world record in February before winning world indoor gold in March.
• Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR): Although Ingebrigtsen was unable to retain his 1500m title in Paris, the Norwegian made up for that by taking home gold in the 5000m, the first European-born athlete to do so since Barcelona 1992. Ingebrigtsen also broke the 3000m world record at the Silesia Diamond League in August.
• Noah Lyles (USA): Lyles took home 100m gold in Paris before adding 200m bronze despite not being fully fit for the latter race. His 9.79 winning time at the Stade de France was also a new personal best for the American.
• Letsile Tebogo (BOT): The African record holder became the first Olympic champion from Botswana when he took 200m gold in Paris. His 19.46 was also the fastest time clocked over the distance in 2024.
• Emmanuel Wanyonyi (KEN): Still only 20 years old, Wanyonyi has had a banner year in the 800m. In addition to Olympic gold, the Kenyan lowered his personal best to 1:41.11 – good for joint-second all time, and just two tenths off compatriot David Rudisha's world record. Wanyonyi also won the Diamond League title over the distance.

How to vote for World Athletics Track Athlete of the Year

Fans can vote for their Women's and Men's Track Athlete of the Year on World Athletics' social media pages, with each individual 'like' on Facebook or Instagram and each repost on X/Twitter counting as one vote.

Social media fan voting will count for 25 per cent of the result, with the World Athletics Council (50 per cent) and World Athletics Family (25 per cent) also voting over the next week from 21 to 27 October.

The top two in each category from this round of voting will be considered finalists, with one final fan vote from 4 November to decide the overall Men's and Women's World Athlete of the Year award winners among the six total finalists in each category through the World Athletics Inside Track platform. Voting will also take place in Out of Stadium Athlete categories next week, while the Field Athlete voting has already occurred.

Other awards that will be given out at the 2024 World Athletics Awards include the Male and Female Rising Star awards, a Coaching Achievement Award, Woman of the Year, Photograph of the Year, World Athletics Member Federation Award, and World Athletics President's Awards.