Bolt seeks sixth Athlete of the Year award

The IAAF has announced the finalists for the 2016 Athlete of the Year award, with Jamaican super-sprinter Usain Bolt leading the list.

Usain Bolt leads the list of six finalists announced for the 2016 World Athlete of the Year award. (AAP)

Jamaican super-sprinter Usain Bolt leads the list of six finalists announced on Wednesday for the 2016 World Athlete of the Year award by the ruling athletics body IAAF.

Bolt won a third straight Olympic 100, 200 and 4x100-metre treble at the Rio de Janeiro Games in August and now has the chance to win the annual IAAF award a record sixth time.

The other two men are Briton Mo Farah who got back-to-back 5,000/10,000m doubles in Rio; and South Africa's Wayde van Niekerk who bettered Michael Johnson's 400m world record for the gold.

The three women on the final list also bagged Olympic gold in Brazil: Ethiopian Alamz Ayana and Poland's Anita Wlodarczyk with world record performances in the 10,000m and hammer throw; while Jamaica's Elaine Thompson got a 100m and 200m sprint double.

Winners will be announced at an IAAF gala on December 2.

The finalists were determined from longlists in a three-way voting process involving the IAAF council, the IAAF family (meet directors, athletes and their representatives, media, IAAF staff members and sponsors) and the public via social media.