New Zealand double Olympic shot put champion Valerie Adams has been shortlisted alongside Jamaican sprint queen Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and hurdler Zuzana Hejnova for the female Athlete of the Year award.
Adams collected a fourth world title at August's world championships Moscow, while Fraser-Pryce won gold medals in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay in the Russian capital.
Czech Republic's Hejnova, who broke 53 seconds for the first time in her career when she demolished the opposition to win the 400 metres hurdles title in Moscow, completes the list.
The men's shortlist of sprinter Usain Bolt, high jumper Bohdan Bondarenko and distance runner Mo Farah was announced on Monday and award winners will be revealed at the World Athletics Gala in Monaco on 16 November, Reuters reports.
