Dutch long-diatance runner Sifan Hassan and Botswanan sprinter Letsile Tebogo, who both won gold medals at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, were named Athletes of the Year by World Athletics at a ceremony held in Monaco on Monday.
Sifan Hassan and Letsile Tebogo celebrate their selections as Athletes of the Year at the World Athletics Awards in Monaco, December 1, 2024. /CFP
Hassan, who also took home the Out-of-Stadium award, was honored for her incredible performance in the French capital, which stretched beyond the marathon and onto the track.
In the space of seven days, she earned two bronze medals in the 5,000 meters, having also run a heat, and the 10,000m, as well as a spectacular gold in the marathon, when she outsprinted Ethiopia's then world record holder Tigist Assefa to triumph by just three seconds.
"I never thought I was going to win this one," said Hassan after receiving her award in Monaco. "This year was crazy. It's not only me. All the athletes have been amazing."
Tebogo received his award after becoming the first African to be crowned Olympic champion in the 200m, crossing the line at the Stade de France in 19.46 seconds to edge out a pair of Americans, Kenny Bednarek and favorite Noah Lyles.
"This means a lot," said Tebogo, who doubled up with 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, track and field's international governing federation, also honored several other athletes who stood out at the Olympics.
Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis won the men's field award after an unbeaten 2024, winning Olympic gold and setting a new world record of 6.26 meters.
Yaroslava Mahuchikh of Ukraine was the winner in the women's category, after the 22-year-old claimed Olympic gold in Paris, and also raised the high jump world record to 2.10m.
In addition to Tebogo, the USA's Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was rewarded in the track category for breaking her own world record in the women's 400m hurdles, clocking 50.37 to win gold in Paris, while men's Olympic marathon champion Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia picked up the out-of-stadium prize.
Ethiopian steeplechaser Sembo Almayew and Italian long-jumper Mattia Furlani both claimed the rising star honors.
During the ceremony, a moment was also taken to remember 2023 Men's Out-of-Stadium Athlete of the Year Kelvin Kiptum, the marathon world record-holder, who died in a road traffic accident in February.
Full list of winners from 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)