Thompson Herah, Parchment the frontrunners - RJRGLEANER Sports Foundation National Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year nominees announced

WORLD ATHLETICS Female Athlete of the Year and back-to-back Olympic sprint double champion, Elaine Thompson Herah, and Olympic men's 110m hurdles gold medal winner, Hansle Parchment, headline the field for the annual RJRGLEANER Sports Foundation National Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year awards, which will take place virtually on Friday, January 21, beginning at 8:35 p.m.

The event, which was launched virtually yesterday, will see four other candidates challenging Thompson Herah for the main women's prize.

Her challengers are fellow track and field athletes and former winner, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Shericka Jackson, Megan Tapper, and cricketer Stafanie Taylor.

On the men's side, 2021 Olympic sprint hurdles bronze medallist Ronald Levy, cricketer Nkrumah Bonner, and rallycross driver Fraser McConnell are also nominated.

Last year, for the first time since the inception of the awards in 1962, no Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year was selected, because of relative inactivity in 2020 caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

However, at yesterday's launch, it was revealed that this year, the awards will have an almost full slate of presentations.

All regular presentations will take place, most virtually, with the exception of the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association awards, which will not be recognised because of curtailed school sports activities and attendance in 2021.

The RJRGLEANER Sports Foundation, which is staging the event for the 17th year, said it remains committed to the national awards and promised that leading up to the event, it will promote it comprehensively on various media.

The People's Choice Performance of the Year Award, one of the most coveted prizes, will have five contestants.

They are Jamaica and West Ham forward Michail Antonio, for his goal against the United States in their Concacaf World Cup qualifying 1-1 draw with the United States of America at the National Stadium in November; Fraser McConnell, for his historic win in the Nordic Rallycross Series in February; Parchment, for his gold medal run at the Tokyo Olympics; Tapper, for her bronze medal finish in the Olympic's sprint hurdles final; and Thompson Herah's breathtaking 10.54-second run (second-fastest time in history) at the Wanda Diamond League meet in Eugene, Oregon, in August.