Projo Running Blog

You can have a say in who will be selected as this year's World Athlete of the Year.

USA Track & Field explains more:

``Beginning today, fans are invited to join the IAAF in voting for the 2006 World Athlete of the Year. With just one click you can pick your choice from the Top 10 men and women in the IAAF Overall World Rankings.

The fans' votes will be added to a poll of IAAF Athletics Family members to create the shortlist of three which will then be presented to a Special Jury of the International Athletic Foundation. The Jury will make the final selection of the Athlete of the Year and announce the winners November 12 at the 2006 IAAF World Athletics Gala in Monaco.

American nominees include Tyson Gay, Jeremy Wariner, Lashinda Demus, Michelle Perry and Sanya Richards.

Tyson Gay ended his 2006 season ranked #2 in the world overall after running six sub-10 second 100 meters races and setting a new personal best of 9.84. He also ran a 200m personal best of 19.68 seconds, which equals the fifth-fastest time in history. Gay won the IAAF World Cup in 9.88 and the U.S. Championships in 10.07.

Jeremy Wariner completed a perfect run of the IAAF's Golden League series. For his perfection, Wariner won a $249,999 share of the Golden League jackpot. Wariner ended his 2006 U.S. and European season undefeated over 400 meters, and hhe posted the top five 400m times and 10 of the top 12 marks in the world this outdoor season. He became just the third man in history to run sub-44 seconds three times in one season, and he had a personal best of 43.62 seconds, the #7 all-time mark.

Lashinda Demus won her second straight national title in the women's 400-meter hurdles. Not only did Demus set a personal best with her world-leading time of 53.07, she also won the $100,000 first prize in the Visa Championship Series with her performance. Demus had the top two fastest times in the world this year (53.02, 53.07) and seven of the top nine. She ended her 2006 season ranked #7 in the world overall.

Michelle Perry's 2006 season ended with a win in the 100-meter hurdles at the World Athletics Final in 12.52 seconds. She won races in Stockholm, Zurich, Monaco, Brussels, and tied her personal best in winning in Lausanne in 12.43.

Sanya Richards ended her stellar 2006 season ranked #1 in the world overall and undefeated in the 400. She crushed the American record in the women's 400 meters with her time of time of 48.70 seconds at the IAAF World Cup and then went on to win the women's 200m in 22.23. Richards completed a perfect run of the IAAF's Golden League series, winning a $249,999 share of the Golden League jackpot. She had the five fastest times in the world in 2006, with 9 total sub-50 second races and ended her 2006 season undefeated over 400 meters. Richards also was the U.S. indoor and outdoor 400m champion.

To cast your vote online, visit http://www.iaaf.org/community/polls/index.htmx.''

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