World 100 and 200 metres champion Tyson Gay is one of three finalists in the running for the IAAF male athlete of the year award.

American Gay, who also won gold in the 4x100 relay at the world championships in Osaka, is joined by Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie and China's Liu Xiang.

Gebrselassie set a marathon world record in Berlin in September while Liu became China's first male track world champion with victory in the 110 hurdles.

Distance runner Meseret Defar, heptathlete Carolina Kluft and high jumper Blanka Vlasic are the nominees for the women's award.

In a triumphant season, Ethiopia's Defar smashed her own 5,000m world record, took gold over the distance in Osaka and twice set a world best for two miles.

Swede Kluft extended her unbeaten streak in the heptathlon to 19 competitions, securing her third world title with a European record.

Vlasic, who has already been voted Europe's female athlete of 2007, became Croatia's first world championship medallist with gold in Japan and won all but one of her 19 outdoor competitions.

The winners will be announced at the World Athletics Gala in Monaco on November 25th.

Reuters