Dutch marathoner Sifan Hassan and Botswanan sprinter Letsile Tebogo, both gold medalists at the Paris Olympics, were named ‘Athletes of the Year’ by World Athletics at a ceremony in Monaco on Sunday.
Hassan, who also received the out-of-stadium award, was recognized for her outstanding performance in Paris, which spanned beyond the marathon to the track events. In just seven days, she won two bronze medals in the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters, in addition to a thrilling gold in the marathon, where she narrowly defeated Ethiopia’s then-world record holder Tigist Assefa by just three seconds.
“I never thought I was going to win this one,” said Hassan after accepting her award in Monaco. “This year was crazy. It’s not only me — all the athletes have been amazing.”
Tebogo earned his award after becoming the first African to win an Olympic gold in the 200m, with a time of 19.46 seconds at the Stade de France, beating American Kenny Bednarek and favorite Noah Lyles.
“This means a lot,” said Tebogo, who also claimed the men’s track award. “It’s not just about the team that is around you; there are a lot of fans out there who really want us to win something great for the continent. It was a real surprise to hear my name because I didn’t expect this.”
Other notable athletes recognized included Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis, who claimed the men’s field award after setting a world record of 6.26 meters at the Olympics, and Ukrainian Yaroslava Mahuchikh, who won the women’s field category after breaking the high jump world record with a 2.10m leap at just 22 years old. She also won Olympic gold.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone received the women’s track award after breaking her own world record in the 400m hurdles with a gold-winning time of 50.37 seconds. Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia was given the men’s out-of-stadium award for his Olympic marathon victory.
Sembo Almayew of Ethiopia and Mattia Furlani of Italy were honored with the rising star awards. A moment of remembrance was held for last year’s men’s out-of-stadium athlete of the year, marathon world record-holder Kelvin Kiptum, who tragically passed away in a road traffic accident in February.
World Athletics Awards:
- Women’s World Athlete of the Year: Sifan Hassan (NED)
- Men’s World Athlete of the Year: Letsile Tebogo (BOT)
- Women’s Track: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA)
- Women’s Field: Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR)
- Women’s Out-of-Stadium: Sifan Hassan (NED)
- Men’s Track: Letsile Tebogo (BOT)
- Men’s Field: Armand Duplantis (SWE)
- Men’s Out-of-Stadium: Tamirat Tola (ETH)
- Women’s Rising Star: Sembo Almayew (ETH)
- Men’s Rising Star: Mattia Furlani (ITA)
