2 Kenyans in list for 2011 world athletic of year

World marathon record holder Patrick Makau is not surprised not to have made it to the final three for the 2011 IAAF Athlete of the Year. Makau, who set a new world record over the 42km of 2:03:38 in the Berlin marathon in September, was among the three Kenyan athletes short-listed for the prestigious award, which will be given to the winners on Nov. 12 in Monaco. "I have not done enough. Winning the world record and looking at other performances this year shows that I need to do more and maybe if I win the Olympics, then I stand a chance," said Makau, Friday in Nairobi. Double World 5,000 and 10,000m champion Vivian Cheruiyot and world 800m champion David Rudisha have been named in the final three athletes for each gender after the initial vote that had top ten men and women performers this year. Rudisha is the male winner in 2010. This is the second year in a row that Kenyans have dominated the provisional list of selected candidates for the top athletics crown. Last year, Rudisha and Milcah Chemos were named. The IAAF had initially announced the list of names of the 10 men and 10 women. An IAAF panel of eight athletics experts selected the 10 male and female candidates. "With just over one week to go to the celebration of the 2011 World Athletics Gala, the IAAF has the pleasure to announce the three male and three female athletes who are still in contention to become the 2011 World Athlete of the Year. Following a three-week poll, the three male and three female athletes who gathered the most votes Yohan Blake (Jamaica), Usain Bolt (Jamaica), and Rudisha. The female are Valerie Adams (New Zealand), Cheruiyot and Sally Pearson (Australia). Already Cheruiyot has expressed optimism, she will be crowned the new female athlete of the year. Cheruiyot's feat has given the world a new imagination joining an elusive group of athletes who have struck gold twice in the same championship. Cheruiyot claimed both the 5,000m and 10,000m titles in Daegu, South Korea last month. "I believe the performance was good enough to prove to the world that I was the hottest athlete in 2011. I have also won the Diamond League, which makes me the world number one in the 5,000m distance," she earlier said.