Stage set for World Athletics Final

Monte Carlo:

Double Olympic champion Kelly Holmes heads an array of star athletes competing in the World Athletics Final this weekend. Britain's Holmes won gold in the 800 and 1,500-meter races in Athens, and will be bracing herself for another showdown against Russian Tatyana Tomashova in Monte Carlo. After beating Tomashova to win the 1,500 Olympic gold, Holmes lost to her at a recent Golden League meet in Berlin. In all, 21 gold medalists from Athens will be among 280 athletes at the Stade Louis II for the season's last event before the men's and women's world athlete of the year are crowned. The inaugural event was staged in the same stadium last year. Change of format Points gained over the weekend count toward overall rankings that decide the title winners. In a change to the format, the list of the top 15 athletes in the overall IAAF world rankings is reduced to five candidates via an internet voting poll set to end today. The shortlist will be presented to a panel of the International Athletic Foundation, which selects the winner after the weekend's events and awards the prize at a gala dinner on Sunday. Last year, South African Hestrie Cloete was female world athlete of the year. Morocco's Hicham El-Guerrouj -- also a double Olympic champion in Athens -- took the men's title. (AP)