JAMAICAN Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce flew along the track, New Zealander Valerie Adams had another unbeatable season in shot put and no one cleared the hurdles like the Czech Zuzana Hejnová. Their virtues and records have made them finalists for the 2013 Best World Athlete, according to the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) survey.

Fraser was on a level with Usain Bolt and her winning the triple crown at the World Championships in Moscow is described as unprecedented among women: 10.71 in the 100 meters, 22.17 in the 200 meters and 41.29 in the 400 meters, one of the three records she acquired in Moscow. If she wins the Best Female Athlete distinction this year, she will be the second Jamaican to do so, after Marlene Ottey left her mark in 2000.

Adams, at 29 years of age, was nominated given her unique record: double Olympic champion, in Beijing 2008 and London 2012. She became the first woman to have a series of first place finishes in World Championships: Osaka 2007, Berlin 2009, Daegu 2011 and Moscow 2013 (20.88 meters in this event).

Hejnová from the Czech Republic rolled over opponents throughout the season. Her domination of the Moscow World Championship was complete and she added a Diamond League victory with seven impeccable performances. As if that weren’t enough, she led her heat in Moscow with 52.83 seconds and recorded eight of the ten best times of 2013.

Consistency, records, prestige. These are the arguments in her favor on the eve of the November 16 Athletics Gala in Monte Carlo.