Dutch marathoner Sifan Hassan and Botswanan sprinter Letsile Tebogo, both gold medalists at the Paris Olympics, have been honoured as Athletes of the Year by World Athletics.
Hassan, who also received the Out-of-Stadium Award, was celebrated for her remarkable performance in Paris, which extended beyond the marathon to include the track. Within just seven days, she claimed two bronze medals in the 5,000 metres, after running the 10,000 metres, and secured a stunning gold in the marathon. She outpaced Ethiopia’s world record holder Tigist Assefa to win by just three seconds.
“I never thought I was going to win this one,” Hassan said after receiving her award in Monaco on Sunday. “This year was crazy. It’s not only me – all the athletes have been amazing.”
Tebogo received his award after making history as the first African Olympic champion in the 200m, clocking 19.46 seconds at the Stade de France. He narrowly beat American athletes Kenny Bednarek and Noah Lyles.
“This means a lot,” said Tebogo, who also won the Men’s Track Award. “It’s not just about the team that is around you, there are a lot of fans out there that 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.”
World Athletics also recognised other outstanding athletes from the Paris Olympics. Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis was awarded in the Men’s Field category after an unbeaten 2024 season, which included winning Olympic gold and setting a new world record with a jump of 6.26 metres.
Ukrainian Yaroslava Mahuchikh claimed the Women’s Field Award after breaking the high jump world record with a leap of 2.10m at just 22 years old, alongside winning Olympic gold in Paris.
In the Track category, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was honoured for breaking her own world record in the 400m hurdles, clocking 50.37 seconds to take gold in Paris. Men’s Olympic marathon champion Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia was awarded the Out-of-Stadium Award.
The Rising Star awards went to Ethiopian steeplechaser Sembo Almayew and Italian long jumper Mattia Furlani.
The ceremony also took a moment to remember last year’s Men’s Out-of-Stadium Athlete of the Year, Kelvin Kiptum, the marathon world record holder who tragically died in a road accident in February.
The winners of the World Athletics Awards 2024 are as follows;
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).
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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