Glen Mills, coach of Jamaica’s IAAF world champions Yohan Blake and Usain Bolt, said he is “not surprised” both of his charges have been nominated for the IAAF Male Athlete of the Year Award.

Blake, who won the men’s 100m gold medal after Bolt was disqualified for a false start in Deagu, South Korea. Bolt, who went on to reclaim his 200m title, as well as female 200m champion Veronica Campbell Brown are among 20 athletes nominated for the Male and Female Athletes of the Year.

Bolt also anchored the Jamaican 4x100m team to a new world record of 37.04 seconds that also saw Blake run the third leg.

The shortlist of 10 men and 10 women was published yesterday from which the top three will be selected after a series of votes and the winners will be announced at the IAAF’s Grand Gala in Monaco on November 12.

Mills told the Observer yesterday that both athletes earned the nominations. “Their performances merited the nominations,” he said.

Blake won the World Championships 100m in 9.92 seconds, then went on to run his personal best 9.82 seconds twice in a matter of days in Zurich, Switzerland and Berlin, Germany. Then he ended the season with a mind-boggling 19.26 seconds in the 200m, the second fastest time ever, only behind Bolt’s world record 19.19 seconds.

Blake, who at 21 years old is the youngest World Championships 100m gold medallist, said he felt honoured to be named among the best in the world. In a release through his agent Cubie Seegobin, Blake, who is currently on vacation, told the Observer: “I feel honoured to be nominated with the likes of these other nine athletes who are nominated. I have always dreamed about days like these.”

Bolt, the world record holder in both the 100m and 200m, finished the season with the fastest time in the short sprint — 9.76 seconds, and was undefeated all year in both disciplines.

Bolt, who has won the IAAF Male Athlete of the Year award twice, in 2008 and 2009, won the 200m at the World Championships in 19.40 seconds, the second fastest time behind Blake’s 19.26 seconds.

Bolt told the Observer: “The nomination for the IAAF Athlete of the Year is always welcome. I am always honoured to be listed among the best of track and field athletes in the world. I thank the list of persons who nominated me. May the best man win.”

Campbell Brown, who is being nominated for the second straight year, finally won the World Championships 200m gold medal after being second in the 100m earlier.

Her personal best 10.76 seconds achieved in Ostrava on May 31 saw her finish second to fellow nominee Carmelita Jeter in the 100m list, while she was third on the 200m list with a season best 22.22 seconds set in Daegu.

Kenya’s David Rudisha, the 800m world champion who won the award last year, is also among the 10 nominees as well as Grenada’s 400m champion Kirani James, Mo Farah of Great Britain, Germany’s discus champion Robert Harting, new marathon world record holder Patrick Makau of Kenya, Koji Murofushi of Japan, triple jump champion Christian Taylor and Jesse Williams, both of the USA.

Sally Pearson of Australia, who became the fourth fastest performer ever in the 100m hurdles when she ran 12.28 seconds to win in Daegu, leads the female list that includes Maria Abakumova of Russia, shot put champion Valerie Adams of New Zealand, Tatyana Chernova of Russia, Vivian Cheruiyot of Kenya, Anna Chicherova of Russia, 400m hurdles world champion Lashinda Demus of the USA, Jeter and Botswana’s 400m world champion Amantle Montsho.

The voting will close on Sunday, October 23 midnight CET at which time the top three finalists will be selected and announced by the IAAF.

The e-mail voters will be: IAAF and IAF Council Members; IAAF Member Federations; IAAF Committee and Commission Members; IAAF Meeting Directors; IAAF Ambassadors; Athletes’ Representatives; Top Athletes; Members of the International Press; IAAF Staff Members.