This track and field season has given us so many twists and turns and left us reeling. However, now that the season has officially ended, the fans can’t help but bring it up now more than ever. One of the most iconic moments came for Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who became the first woman to successfully defend her Olympic title in the event with her blistering world record time of 50.37 seconds. Speaking of firsts, another American track star got to experience the Golden Club. 

Gabby Thomas snagged her first Olympic gold in the 200m finals in Stade de France. She confessed, “This is six years in the making, at least; all of it was for this moment.” After clinching a bronze in the event at Tokyo, the sprinter redeemed herself by crossing the finish line in 21.83 seconds. So, what’s started the debate this time around? World Athletics has announced the nominees for the Track Athlete of the Year, and the Track & Field Gazette shared the final list for the women’s category on X. 

As per the World Athletics website, they picked six nominees despite the high number of disciplines. Here are your athletes for the 2024 Women’s Track Athlete of the Year:

• Olympic 400 hurdles and 4x400m champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone
• World indoor 60m champion and Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred
• Olympic 1500m champion and World 1500m record holder Faith Kipyegon
• Olympic 4x100m, 4x400m, and Olympic 200m champion Gabby Thomas
• Diamond League 400m and Olympic 400m champion Marileidy Paulino
• World 10,000m record holder and Olympic 5000m and 10,000m champion Beatrice Chebet

However, this isn’t the only category. There are three. In every category, 2 out of the 6 will emerge as finalists. So, what did they consider to pick the nominees? Throughout the season, whoever has shown great prowess in the World Athletics Indoor Championships, 2024 Olympic Games, one-day meeting circuits, and other events around the world. So, picking who’s truly worthy of it is definitely a difficult task. Luckily, the onus to make the decision falls on the shoulders of track and field fans.

They will first vote to determine the finalists in each category. This can be done through email or Instagram, X, and Facebook. For social media, a retweet will count on X, while a ‘like’ on Instagram and Facebook will be considered. After the finalists are announced, they will then allow registered users to vote via Inside Track between October 21 and 27. However, it looks like the community has already hit a bump before the voting begins.

Track and field community is left clamoring over Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Gabby Thomas, Julien Alfred, Marileidy Paulino, and other nominees

Who doesn’t want their favorite to come out at the top? Throughout the season, the community has been cheering athletes on. However, with the massive annual prize on the line, none of them can decide who is truly worthy of the honor. Unable to decide, fans have rallied behind each of the nominees.

One fan stated, “Paulino without a doubt. She turned up more times than others and went undefeated. Sydney and Kipyegon close 2nd & 3rd.” Marileidy Paulino stunned the track and field fans by etching her name in history with a blistering 48.17 seconds at Stade de France. After a second-place finish in the Japanese capital, she is now the first woman from the Dominican Republic to win an Olympic gold medal. So, we understand why they feel she is worthy. 

However, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone isn’t far behind, according to this fan. The Olympian didn’t just snag a gold in the 400m hurdles. But she also contested and won the 4x400m relay with Team USA. In fact, the sprinter ran a stunning 47.71-second split to give them a considerable lead.

A netizen pointed out, “Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone 2X WR this year 2 Gold Olympic medals 47.71 4×400m relay split – the second fastest ever electronically timed split.” It’s not hard to see why she’s a favorite. Her impressive resume speaks for itself. But another fan agreed, “It should go to the person who breaks a world record every single time she steps on the track to run her signature race.” The 25-year-old has reset the world record a staggering six times in her career! 

Yes, that’s right. The sixth time was amid a thunderous cheer on the iconic purple tracks at the French capital. The 25-year-old has previously talked about how she manages this incredible feat. The secret sauce? Treating every meet like it’s the first time. Even though she was the defending champion in the 400m hurdles in Paris, she looked at it as her first time and tried to give it her all.

One fan chimed in, “Alfred should win for becoming the first st Lucian to ever win gold.” We don’t blame them. The Saint Lucian did upset the crowd favorite to clinch a historic win. However, another fan counter-argued with, “Gabby won 3 gold tho.” Interestingly enough, one of them happened to be against Julien Alfred in the 200m finals! 

Coming back to the Olympic 100m champion, her blistering 10.72 seconds helped her bag a shiny gold in style. But it also set a national record, making this win even more iconic. As for Gabby Thomas? After beating Julien Alfred, she dominated the 4x100m and 4x400m relay with Team USA, clinching two more Olympic golds.

Another fan was pining for two of their favorites: “This award should go to Faith kipyegon or CHEBET Beatrice Faith kipyegon was undefeated in the 1500 all year plus 3 peating the Gold 🥇 at the Olympics and a new world record CHEBET broke world records and won gold in all events she participated in this year.” Racking up some impressive accolades is no easy feat, so we understand where they’re coming from. 

They don’t call the middle-distance runner “Queen of the 1500m” for nothing. On the iconic purple track, Faith Kipyegon became the first woman to clinch three Olympic golds in the event. She did this with a stunning 3:51.29 on the clock. She even shaved off 2 seconds from the Olympic record she set in the Japanese capital.

As for Chebet Beatrice? She struck gold twice in the French capital with gold in the 5000m and 10,000m disciplines. With this, she became the first Kenyan woman to win an Olympic gold in the event. But she’s also the third woman to claim a double for both events at the Games. While these fans can’t seem to agree, we’d like to know who you would cast your vote for.