Letsile Tebogo and Sifan Hassan were named world athletes of the year by World Athletics in a ceremony in Monaco on Sunday, commemorating a thrilling season of track, field and distance running.
Tebogo, 21, who also won the top male track athlete honor, is a rising talent and won the first-ever gold medal for Botswana at the Paris Olympics with a stunning 200m victory in 19.46 in a stacked final. Tebogo ran under 20 seconds nine times this year. He later anchored Botswana’s 4x400m relay team to a silver medal.
“It feels amazing to know that the fans are always there for us athletes. It was a great year,” Tebogo said on stage at the ceremony. “This means a lot. “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.”
Hassan put on arguably one of the most captivating displays on and off the track at the Paris Games, and was also given the women’s out of stadium prize for road racing.
In Paris, she won bronze medals in the 5,000m and 10,000m — and on the last day of competition shocked the running world with a late kick in the marathon to win gold and set an Olympic record. She is the first woman to win three solo medals on the Olympic stage. Hassan was also named the top female out of stadium prize to acknowledge her theatrics in the marathon.
“Thank you to the fans, to everybody who voted,” Hassan at the ceremony. “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?”
Last year, many fans of the sport believed Hassan was snubbed by organizers despite a strong 2023 season where she won her marathon debut in London and then Chicago — just her second race at the distance at the time.
Meanwhile, the other awards handed out at the ceremony reflected just how deep the talent pool of nominees was this year.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone won the top female track honor, while Mondo Duplantis and Yaroslava Mahuchikh took male and female prizes for the best field athletes of the year.
Tamirat Tola‘s Olympic record in the marathon in Paris earned him the male out of stadium award, as Mattia Furlani and Sembo Almayew were given the male and female rising stars titles.
The finalists were narrowed from a group of this year’s top athletes and voted on by a three-way process that included the World Athletics Council vote, World Athletics family vote and ballots compiled from fans via social media.
One last round of fan voting determined the overall men’s and women’s athletes of the year prizes.
The full list of the 2024 World Athletics athletes of the year
World Athletes of the Year
Women’s World Athlete of the Year – Sifan Hassan (Netherlands)
Men’s World Athlete of the Year – Letsile Tebogo (Botswana)
Women’s track – Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA)
Women’s field – Yaroslava Mahuchikh (Ukraine)
Women’s out of stadium – Sifan Hassan (Netherlands)
Men’s track – Letsile Tebogo (Botswana)
Men’s field – Mondo Duplantis (Sweden)
Men’s out of stadium – Tamirat Tola (Ethiopia)
Women’s Rising Star
Sembo Almayew (Ethiopia)
Men’s Rising Star
Mattia Furlani (Italy)
Coaching Achievement Award
Trevor Painter
Woman of the Year
Renee Washington
Photograph of the Year
Michael Steele
Member Federation Award
USA Track & Field
President’s Award
Phil Knight
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