Vote for Obiri, Manang’oi for IAAF awards
Kenya's Hellen Onsando Obiri can't hide her joy after winning the final of the women's 5000m at the 2017 IAAF World Championships at the London Stadium in London on August 13, 2017. PHOTO | JEWEL SAMAD | AFP
What you need to know:
- The Kenyans have equal chance with the others and the only thing that will separate them from the rest are your votes. So vote, vote and vote!
As you are all aware, our very own Hellen Obiri and Elijah Manang’oi have been nominated for the 2017 IAAF World Athletes of the Year Awards.
The awards ceremony is scheduled for November 24 in Monaco.
The two have done us proud throughout the season and the best way to return the favour is to vote for them as per the IAAF award requirements. For those not aware, Obiri won gold medal in the 5,000 metres and also clinched the IAAF Diamond League award. Besides, she is the Olympic 5,000m silver medallist.
On the other hand, Manang’oi, the world 1,500m champion, also won the IAAF Diamond League Trophy in his speciality. For beginners, a three-way voting process will determine the finalists.
The IAAF Council and the IAAF family will cast their votes by email, while fans can vote online via the IAAF’s social media platforms.
Individual graphics for each nominee have been posted on Facebook and Twitter and a ‘like’ on Facebook or a retweet on Twitter will count as one vote. The IAAF Council’s vote will count for 50 percentage of the result, while the IAAF Family’s votes and the public votes will each count for 25 percent of the final result.
Voting closes on Monday (October 16) and at the conclusion of the voting process, three men and three women finalists will be announced by the IAAF. It is as simple as that and the only way Kenyans can excel is by voting for them.
So please note that it doesn’t not matter how much we talk about the two Kenyans in the local media or in our social forum, it’s your vote that counts.
The Kenyans have equal chance with the others and the only thing that will separate them from the rest are your votes. So vote, vote and vote!
Remember, we had a similar chance through Vivian Cheruiyot in 2011 and we blew it. I hope we will not repeat the same mistake.
Double world champion then, Cheruiyot was surprisingly beaten to the Female Athlete of the Year accolade and the Sh10 million that comes with the trophy by Australian 100m hurdler and Daegu gold medallist, Sally Pearson, prompting hue and cry among Kenyans.
The biggest mistake we made then was to assume she was going to get it based on performance but it seemed we were all wrong. Let us not shed crocodile tears later when in the real sense we did not do the needful. Please come out and vote for Obiri and Manangoi because your vote counts.
