World Road Running half marathon silver medallist Daniel Simiu is among the finalists of the World Athletics international FairPlay award.
Simiu was selected after his selfless act at the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Riga, Latvia.
Simiu found himself in a fierce battle for the gold medal, alongside his teammate Sebastian Sawe.
In a moment that captured the essence of fair play, Simiu chose to salute Sawe as he overtook him, clinching the coveted gold.
This remarkable act of selflessness resonates with the core values upheld by the International Fair Play Committee (CIFP) and World Athletics.
The CIFP, established six decades ago, promotes the principles of fair play in sport, emphasizing fair competition, respect, friendship, team spirit, equality, and a commitment to sport without doping.
This year’s award winner will be revealed on World Athletics’ platforms in the lead up to the World Athletics Awards in Monaco on December 11
The other finalists include Ethiopian athlete Letesenbet Gidey who exhibited a remarkable sense of empathy during the women’s 10,000m event at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23.
After securing the silver medal, Gidey rushed to comfort Netherlands’ Sifan Hassan, who had suffered a dramatic fall on the home straight.
On the other British athlete Jessica Warner-Judd stood out for her exceptional sportsmanship. Despite finishing eighth in the 10,000m final at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23, Warner-Judd was the only athlete to wait and shake hands with the final placed runner, who had barely completed the event despite being far behind the rest of the field.
A statement from World Athletics said: “Last month, World Athletics invited fans to take to social media to cast their vote for the moment that has best exemplified fair play this year. Following that voting period, the social media scores were combined with jury votes to determine the following three finalists.”
