Instead of Usain Bolt, Eaton and Dibaba Selected as IAAF's Male and Female Athlete of the Year

Usain Bolt has not been selected as the 2015 IAAF make athlete of the year. Instead, Ashton Eaton of the United States and Ethiopia's Genzebe Dibaba, have been named respectively as the men's and women's IAAF World Athletes of the Year for 2015

Eaton, registered a decathlon-record 400 metres time of 45 seconds in the Chinese capital and has beaten off competition from legendary sprinter Usain Bolt and world triple jump champion Christian Taylor to win the award.

Having won both gold and for having set a world record in the 1500 at the recent World Championships, and for winning bronze medal in the 5000m event, Dibaba earned her female athlete of the year award.

Reflecting on his win, Eaton said that he felt honoured to join some of the most talented performers of all time.

Dibaba commented; "I had a great season and truly enjoyed competing around the world, from Monaco where I managed to establish a world record, to Beijing where I finally captured my first world outdoor title".

"It feels so good to be the World Athlete of the Year", Dibaba said.