At the beginning of 2018 we started for the first time to publish "the athlete of the month" we had in our mind the goal of arriving at a choice shared by the readers of Marcia dal Mondo of "athlete of the year".
Now, when the season is almost complete, we want to start determining this path.
Nomination
We have considered for the nomination of athlete of the year all the athletes who during the months from January to October 2018 have had a nomination for athlete of the month.
We summarize them in the following card in which the score-points obtained with the victories of "athlete of the month" are shown in red and those of the nominations in black
We have eliminated Russia's athletes who, at the moment, do not compete in international competitions and also those athletes who have been suspended for doping events after the nomination.
We have set the criteria for the nomination of the first ten athletes:
- those that we have the most number of athlete's nominations of the month
- those that have the highest number of athlete wins of the month
- those who have won a IAAF Major Event, or a led of the IAAF Challenge or an Area Championship
For the year 2018 the following ten athletes were chosen (in alphabetical order of Country)
- Wang Kaihua (CHN)
- Eider Arevalo (COL)
- Alvaro Martin (ESP)
- Diego Garcia (ESP)
- Daisuke Matsunaga (JPN)
- Koki Ikeda (JPN)
- Tomohiro Noda (JPN)
- Hirooki Arai (JPN)
- Matej Toth (SVK)
- Maryan Zakalnytskyy (UKR)
Below we will present the specific report-tables for each individual athlete on which we will then ask with a survey that will be activated in the Facebook group - Marcia dal Mondo Friends, to our readers to express themselves in this regard.
Today we open the survey that will remain open until the end of November.
The results of the survey will count as 50%. The other 50% will be given by the choice of a group of friends of Marcia dal Mondo chosen among technicians and coaches, judges, journalists from different continents: they will be asked to comment on this.
In the coming days we will present a similar work for women.
WANG Kaihua (CHN)
| Date | Competition | Event | Pl. | Result | R. Score | Pl. Sc | Total |
| | | | | | | | |
| 3.3.2018 | Huangshan, China GP | 20km | 1 | 1:19:41 | 1.196 | 10 | 1.206 |
| 6.5.2018 | Taicang, IAAF WTC | 20km | 2 | 1:21:22 | 1.161 | 120 | 1.281 |
| | | | | | | | |
| | Average | | | | 1.178 | 65 | 1.243 |
Eider AREVALO (COL)
| Date | Competition | Event | Pl. | Result | R. Score | Pl. Sc | Total |
| | | | | | | | |
| 2.6.2018 | La Coruna, IAAF Ch. | 20km | 1 | 1:19:14 | 1.208 | 110 | 1.318 |
| 24.9.2018 | Suzhou, IAAF Ch. | 20km | 2 | 1:23:23 | 1.144 | 110 | 1.281 |
| | | | | | | | |
| | Average | | | | 1.176 | 110 | 1.286 |
Alvaro MARTIN (ESP)
| Date | Competition | Event | Pl. | Result | R. Score | Pl. Sc | Total |
| | | | | | | | |
| 11.8.2018 | Berlin, European Ch. | 20km | 1 | 1:20:42 | 1.198 | 140 | 1.338 |
| | | | | | | | |
| | Average | | | | 1.198 | 140 | 1.338 |
Diego GARCIA (ESP)
| Date | Competition | Event | Pl. | Result | R. Score | Pl. Sc | Total |
| | | | | | | | |
| 7.4.2018 | Rio Maior, IAAF Ch. | 20km | 1 | 1:21:15 | 1.164 | 110 | 1.274 |
| 2.6.2018 | La Coruna, IAAF Ch. | 20km | 2 | 1:19:18 | 1.206 | 90 | 1.296 |
| | | | | | | | |
| | Average | | | | 1.185 | 100 | 1.285 |
Daisuke MATSUNAGA (JPN)
| Date | Competition | Event | Pl. | Result | R. Score | Pl. Sc | Total |
| | | | | | | | |
| 1.1.2018 | Tokyio, Race Walk Meet | 20km | 1 | 1:20:12 | 1.187 | 10 | 1.197 |
| 18.2.2018 | Kobe, Japan National Ch | 20km | 3 | 1:17:46 | 1.240 | 45 | 1.285 |
| 7.7.2018 | Kitami, Hokuren Distance Ch. | 10.000m | 1 | 37:58.08 | 1.218 | 10 | 1.228 |
| 28.10.2018 | Takahata, JAAF Ch. | 20km | 1 | 1:29:36 | 1.178 | 60 | 1.238 |
| | | | | | | | |
| | Average | | | | 1.206 | 31 | 1.237 |
Koki IKEDA (JPN)
| Date | Competition | Event | Pl. | Result | R. Score | Pl. Sc | Total |
| | | | | | | | |
| 11.3.2018 | Lugano Trophy | 20km | 1 | 1:21:26 | 1.160 | 20 | 1.180 |
| 6.5.2018 | Taicang, IAAF WTC | 20km | 1 | 1:21:13 | 1.165 | 140 | 1.305 |
| 7.7.2018 | Kitami, Hokuren Distance Ch. | 10.000m | 2 | 38:40.04 | 1.188 | 6 | 1.196 |
| 7.10.2018 | Fukui, 73th National Festival | 10.000m | 1 | 39:05.44 | 1.169 | 10 | 1.179 |
| | | | | | | | |
| | Average | | | | 1.171 | 44 | 1.215 |
Tomohiro NODA (JPN)
| Date | Competition | Event | Pl. | Result | R. Score | Pl. Sc | Total |
| | | | | | | | |
| 15.4.2018 | Wajima, JAAF Ch. | 50km | 1 | 3:45:56 | 1.187 | 45 | 1.232 |
| 2.6.2018 | La Coruna, IAAF Ch. | 20km | 2 | 1:19:49 | 1.195 | 18 | 1.213 |
| 28.10.2018 | Takahata, JAAF Ch. | 50km | 1 | 3:39:47 | 1.224 | 70 | 1.294 |
| | | | | | | | |
| | Average | | | | 1.202 | 44 | 1.246 |
Hirooki ARAI (JPN)
| Date | Competition | Event | Pl. | Result | R. Score | Pl. Sc | Total |
| | | | | | | | |
| 5.5.2018 | Taicang, IAAF Ch. | 50km | 1 | 3:44:25 | 1.196 | 140 | 1.336 |
| | | | | | | | |
| | Average | | | | 1.196 | 140 | 1.336 |
Matej TOTH (SVK)
| Date | Competition | Event | Pl. | Result | R. Score | Pl. Sc | Total |
| | | | | | | | |
| 24.3.2018 | Dudince, European Permit | 50km | 1 | 3:42:46 | 1.206 | 45 | 1.251 |
| 7.8.2018 | Berlin, European Ch. | 50km | 2 | 3:47.27 | 1.178 | 105 | 1.283 |
| | | | | | | | |
| | Average | | | | 1.192 | 75 | 1.267 |
Maryan ZAKALNYTSKYY (UKR)
| Date | Competition | Event | Pl. | Result | R. Score | Pl. Sc | Total |
| | | | | | | | |
| 7.8.2018 | Berlin, European Ch. | 50km | 1 | 3:46.32 | 1.183 | 140 | 1.323 |
| | | | | | | | |
| | Average | | | | 1.183 | 140 | 1.323 |