New Zealand's shot put champion Valerie Adams has been short-listed for the IAAF World Athlete of the Year Award.
Adams, who won gold at the London Olympics following the disqualification of the Belarussian Nadzeya Ostapchuk, is joined by the British heptathlete Jessica Ennis and US sprinter Allyson Felix who also won gold in London.
Votes for the shortlist were cast from a panel of 2,400 people around the world comprising IAAF officials, top athletes and selected members of the international media.
The men's shortlist comprises Jamaican sprint king Usain Bolt, US 110-metre hurdler Aries Merritt and Kenyan 800-metre champion David Rudisha.
The winners of the 2012 World Athlete of the Year Awards will be announced at a ceremony in Barcelona at the end of the month.
