New Delhi, 2 December (Hindustan Reporter). Olympic champions Sifan Hassan and Letsile Tebogo have been named Athletes of the Year in the women’s and men’s categories respectively. The duo received the night’s top honors after being voted on by fans at the World Athletics Awards 2024 in Monaco on Sunday.
Sebastian Coe, President of World Athletics, said in an official statement: “At the end of a fantastic year for athletics, we are delighted to reveal the list of our World Athletes of the Year – this group of athletes represents the very best of our sport. Does and this year it has redefined what is possible in terms of athletic performance. Our 2024 contingent has set new standards in terms of altitude, speed and distance, holding six world records and several Olympic and national records between them. I congratulate all of our award winners and all the athletes nominated for these honors, and I thank them for inspiring us all with their performances this year.”
Athletes of the Year Hassan and Tebogo both won multiple medals in various competitions, including a gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Topping Dutch star Hassan’s medal tally in Paris was the final athletics gold medal of the Games, which she won in the marathon with an Olympic record time of 2:22:55. The performance came just 37 hours after Hassan won bronze in the 10,000 meters and six days after his first medal – also a bronze – in the 5000 meters in the French capital.
As a result, she became the first woman to win medals in the 5000 m, 10,000 m and marathon at the same Games, and the first athlete since Emil Zatopek, who won all three men’s titles in Helsinki in 1952.
Tebogo also made history by winning the 200 meters in Paris, giving her Botswana’s first Olympic gold medal in any sport. He set an African record of 19.46 – a time that puts him fifth on the world all-time list – and this performance came after he finished sixth in the 100 meters final. He became part of Botswana’s silver medal-winning men’s 4×400 meters team.
He ran under 20 seconds for the 200 meters a total of nine times in 2024, topping his Olympic title-winning record as the fastest performance of the year.
American female track athlete McLaughlin-Levron twice improved her world 400 m hurdles record, clocking 50.65 and 50.37 seconds, and won Olympic gold in that event as well as the 4×400 m. Tola, who along with Hassan was named Out of Stadium Athlete of the Year, won the Olympic marathon title in Paris with an Olympic record.
The World Athlete of the Year award winners for 2024 are as follows-
Female World Athlete of the Year: Sifan Hassan (Netherlands)
Male World Athlete of the Year: Letsile Tebogo (Botswana)
Women’s track: Sydney McLaughlin-Levron (USA)
Women’s Field: Yaroslava Mahuchikh (Ukraine)
Women out of stadium: Sifan Hassan (Netherlands)
Men’s track: Letsile Tebogo (Botswana)
Men’s Field: Mondo Duplantis (Sweden)
Men out of stadium: Tamirat Tola (Ethiopia)
Women’s Rising Star: Sambo Almayu (Ethiopia)
Men’s Rising Star: Mattia Furlani (Italy).
Other award winners-
Coaching Achievement-Award
trevor painter
Woman of the Year-Renee Washington
Best picture of the year-
michael steele
Member Association Award-
usa track and field
