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25 Nov’ 2017

Qatari Mutaz Essa Barshim Male Athlete of the Year

MONACO , November 25, 2017 - Qatari high jumper Mutaz Essa Barshim and Belgium's heptathlon champion Nafissatou Thiam were named the IAAF's men's and women's athlete of the year on Friday.

World champion Barshim succeeds retired Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt. He claimed the title from a shortlist comprising Britain's long distance star Mo Farah and South Africa's 400m champion Wayde Van Niekerk.

Thiam, who won hepatathlon gold at the Olympics and worlds in London, beat off competition from Ethiopia's 10,000m Olympic champion Almaz Ayana and Greek polevault star Ekaterini Stefanidi.

The men's and women's finalists were whittled down from an original list of 10 by a vote of IAAF council members, fans and fellow athletes.

At the awards ceremony in Monaco Bolt was awarded the president's prize.

Barshim recently crowned the 2017 Best Athlete of Asia Award, awarded by the National Olympic Committees (ANOC) in the Czech capital Prague on the sidelines of the General Assembly of the ANOC.

The Qatari champions won the world title in the high jump competition in the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London.

Barshim captured Asia gold medal in 2011 and the Arab Games in the same year and then the world military championship in Rio.

The Qatari champion won the gold medal in the Asian Futsal Championship and snatched the bronze medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

He also won the 2013 World Championship. Barshim won the 2014 Asian Games gold medal in and out of the halls, and the silver medal of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil before winning the for the 2017 World Cup gold.

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