Dutch middle-distance runner Sifan Hassan was named the 2024 Women’s World Athlete of the Year, while Botswana sprinter Letsile Tebogo earned the 2024 Men’s World Athlete of the Year award on Sunday, December 1.
World Athletics, the global governing body for the sport, announced the winners of the 2024 awards in Monaco following a vote by fans.
“Thank you to the fans, to everybody who voted,” said Hassan. “I never thought I was going to win this one. This year was crazy. It’s not only me — all the athletes have been amazing. I’m really grateful. What more can I say?”
Hassan set a new Olympic record of 2:22:55 in the women’s marathon at the Paris 2024 Games on August 11.
Tebogo, on the other hand, expressed his gratitude, saying, “It feels amazing to know that the fans are always there for us athletes. It was a great year.”
On August 8, Tebogo made history in Paris by claiming Botswana’s first-ever Olympic gold medal in any sport when he won the 200 meters.
Meanwhile, Sweden’s Mondo Duplantis, who broke his own pole vault world record by clearing 6.26 meters to win the Olympic gold, was named Male Field Athlete of the Year.
The following are the World Athletes of the Year for 2024 winners:
- 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 (US)
- Women’s field: Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR)
- Women’s out of stadium: Sifan Hassan (NED)
- Men’s track: Letsile Tebogo (BOT)
- Men’s field: Mondo Duplantis (SWE)
- Men’s out of stadium: Tamirat Tola (ETH)
- Women’s Rising Star: Sembo Almayew (ETH)
- Men’s Rising Star: Mattia Furlani (ITA)