WORLD and European heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis has been included on the shortlist for the IAAF World Athlete of the Year award.

The 24-year-old from Sheffield has enjoyed another superb year, winning the World Indoor Championships and the European Championships in a new personal best.

Ennis’ main competition for the top women’s prize is likely to come from high jumper Blanka Vlasic, who has swept the board this season, and sprinter Allyson Felix, who won Diamond League titles at 200 metres and 400m.

Also in contention to succeed Sanya Richards are Veronica Campbell-Brown, Milcah Chemos Cheywa, Meseret Defar, Fabiana Murer, Nadezhda Ostapchuk, Olga Rypakova and Anita Wlodarczyk.

In pole position to win the men’s title is Kenyan David Rudisha, who has twice broken the 800m world record this season as well as winning the African Championships and Continental Cup in an unbeaten sequence of 15 races.

The most noteworthy absentee from the list is sprint superstar Usain Bolt, the winner for the last two years.

The Jamaican has been troubled by injury and was also beaten by Tyson Gay, who is included in the top 10, in Stockholm.

Triple European sprint champion Christophe Lemaitre and javelin thrower Andreas Thorkildsen lead the European contenders while Christian Cantwell, Steven Hooker, Bernard Lagat, David Oliver, Zersenay Tadese and Teddy Tamgho complete the list.

Next month, a shortlist of three finalists will be presented to a special jury of the International Athletic Foundation, who will decide on the two winners, to be announced in Monaco on November 21.