Ridley Ingram photo: Blake to Bolt in a Daegu world record run.

Jamaican training partners Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake will know today if either will take home US$100,000 as the IAAF 2011 Male Athlete of The Year, when the announcement is made at the World Athletics Gala in Monaco. Both sprinters were short-listed as two of the three finalists vying for the coveted prize.  The third athlete is Kenya’s 800m world record holder David Rudisha.

While Bolt and Rudisha have copped the last three World Athletes of The Year trophies, with Bolt taking the prize in 2008 and 2009 and Rudisha in 2010, the young Blake is a first-time candidate, nonetheless a strong one.

This year, the 25-year-old Bolt is going into the competition with 2011 additions to his resume: the 200m World Championships title, a leg on Jamaica’s 4x100m relay team that won at the Championships in a world record 37.04secs, as well as the fastest 100m time this season at 9.76.

Blake, 21, won the 2011 100m World Championships title, helped set the 4x100m relay world record in Daegu by running the third leg, and ran the second fastest 200m of all-time at 19.26 after the Championships.

But the idea of the award going to Bolt or Blake is not a sure bet, for Rudisha’s qualifications are not to be taken lightly. Besides coming in as the reigning Athlete of The Year, the 22-year-old Kenyan won the 800m World Championships title in Daegu, ran the fastest 800m time of the year at 1:41.33, and clocked five of the 10 fastest 800m of all season.

The speculations will end in just a few hours.