On the eve of the World Athletics Indoor Championships Nanjing 25 &ndash; the first global championships of the year &ndash; the International Fair Play Committee (CIFP), in partnership with World Athletics, is inviting fans across the world to nominate moments that epitomise fair play with a view to recognising one standout athlete or moment at the World Athletics Awards later this year.
As was the case last year, the nominations period includes all World Athletics Series (WAS) events and Continental Tour events throughout the course of the year.
Following the final WAS event of the year, a jury will be empanelled to review the nominations and judge on a shortlist of five fair play moments in athletics from 2025.
Fans will then be asked to cast their votes through the World Athletics social media channels for the shortlisted moment that they feel best exemplifies fair play. These votes will be combined with the votes from the jury to determine three finalists for the Fair Play Award. The winner will be revealed at the World Athletics Awards later in the year.
To nominate an athlete or moment for the Fair Play Award, please email <a href="mailto:fairplayaward@worldathletics.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fairplayaward@worldathletics.org</a>.
Sander Skotheim was the recipient of last year&rsquo;s award. His fair play moment occurred at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where the Norwegian decathlete had been in contention for a medal. Despite the disappointment of no-heighting in the pole vault, meaning that he was no longer in contention for a medal, Skotheim decided to continue competing. In the process he supported his compatriot and the eventual winner Markus Rooth, helping his teammate in the final discipline &ndash; the 1500m.
The CIFP was established over 60 years ago to promote the principles of fair play in sport: fair competition, respect, friendship, team spirit, equality and sport without doping. It honours those who respect the written and unwritten rules of sport, which include integrity, solidarity, tolerance, care, excellence and joy, and who set an example for others, on and off the field. The CIFP&rsquo;s first collaboration with World Athletics dates back to the 2003 World Athletics Championships in Paris. Twelve awards have been handed out since then.
World Athletics

The nominations period includes all World Athletics Series events and Continental Tour events throughout the course of the year

World Athletics and CIFP invite fans to nominate fair play moments for 2025

Mattia Furlani made quite the leap in 2024. At the age of just 19, the Italian jumps talent became an Olympic medallist, a world indoor medallist, a European medallist and a world U20 record-holder.
All this in what was deemed a &ldquo;transition year&rdquo; as he made the move from the U20 to senior ranks. It led to him being named Men&rsquo;s Rising Star at the World Athletics Awards 2024 in Monaco.
&ldquo;I dreamed of this season. For me, it was a perfect year,&rdquo; he reflected. &ldquo;I am so happy with this season &ndash; from the indoors, to Rome, to the Olympic Games and the final in the Diamond League.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/67768bc8af3e5ee68047caf6.JPG" alt="Rising Stars Mattia Furlani and Sembo Almayew on stage at the World Athletics Awards 2024" />
Rising Stars Mattia Furlani and Sembo Almayew on stage at the World Athletics Awards 2024 (&copy; World Athletics)
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As Furlani explained when receiving his Rising Star award on stage at the Theatre Princesse Grace in Monaco in December, it was the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow in March that kicked it all off.
&ldquo;Glasgow, it was my first senior medal on the global stage,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;There were amazing emotions.&rdquo;
At 19 years and 24 days, Furlani became the youngest athlete in history to win a world indoor medal in the horizontal jumps. His first-round leap of 8.22m matched the mark achieved by multiple global gold medallist Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece, with Tentoglou only beating his teenage rival on countback courtesy of a superior second-best jump.
&ldquo;What a great day &ndash; I have been dreaming about this medal for weeks and I want to thank everybody who has worked with me," said Furlani. "This is the beginning of a long journey.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/678292add504dcd421d3f2f9.jpg" alt="Mattia Furlani at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow" />
Mattia Furlani at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow (&copy; Dan Vernon)
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His journey continued the following month, when he opened his outdoor season at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Suzhou before heading back home to compete in Savona in May. Leaping 8.36m, Furlani added one centimetre to the world U20 record of 8.35m that had been set by Russia&rsquo;s Sergey Morgunov in 2012. In the lead up to the World Indoor Championships, Furlani had jumped 8.34m at the Italian Championships, missing that record by a single centimetre.
&ldquo;Finally! I have been looking for this result for a long time and it means a lot,&rdquo; Furlani told the Italian athletics federation at the time. &ldquo;It means that we are working well and on the right path, on the threshold of two very important events such as the European Championships in Rome and the Paris Olympics.&rdquo;
Furlani was to make the most of both of those opportunities, too. At the European Championships, competing in front of a home crowd once again, he improved the world U20 record to 8.38m to secure another silver medal behind Tentoglou.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6782949a161d001e356d529a.JPG" alt="Mattia Furlani at the World Athletics Awards" />
Mattia Furlani at the World Athletics Awards (&copy; World Athletics)
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Furlani became an Olympic medallist two months later, leaping 8.34m to bag bronze behind Tentoglou and Jamaica&rsquo;s Wayne Pinnock in Paris.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a dream. I live the dream every day,&rdquo; said Furlani afterwards. &ldquo;With dedication, work and belief, I&rsquo;m here with this medal.&rdquo;
It earned him high praise from Tentoglou, too.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I tell him all the time that he is crazy. What he does is unreal,&rdquo; said the two-time Olympic champion. &ldquo;As a young talent, I was jumping eight metres when I was 18 and 19 years old, but I was never able to be so consistent at that young age. It took me a long time to get to that stage.&rdquo;
In total, Furlani surpassed eight metres in eight competitions in 2024. The double 2022 European U18 champion, who claimed gold in both the long jump and high jump in that competition in Jerusalem, has improved his long jump best from 8.04m in 2022 to 8.24m in 2023 and 8.38m in 2024.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/62c4c3dfc76235b90dc02f91.jpg" alt="Italian long jumper Mattia Furlani at the European U18 Championships in Jerusalem" />
Italian long jumper Mattia Furlani at the European U18 Championships in Jerusalem (&copy; Getty Images)
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He intends to build on this in 2025, with the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing in March and the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September his big targets.
&ldquo;It was a transition year for him (in 2024), so I am really happy that he is getting to an elite level. We want to go further,&rdquo; explained his mother Khadidiatou Seck, a former sprinter who is now Furlani&rsquo;s main coach. She guides her son alongside his father Marcello, a 2.27m high jumper. &ldquo;I am really happy for him, with how things have gone this year. I am expecting more in the future.&rdquo;
Furlani agrees. &ldquo;We are very excited because we are working very well,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The emotion and these vibes, I want to try to get the best out of myself.&rdquo;
Furlani has great memories of watching the Olympic Games in Tokyo and hopes to be part of another successful Italian team when global athletics action returns to Japan&rsquo;s capital in 2025.
&ldquo;For Italy, it was a special Olympic Games because we got five gold medals,&rdquo; Furlani reflected when asked about his memories of the Games. &ldquo;The gold medal by Gianmarco (Tamberi, in the high jump), because that was when I did high jump and I was not a long jumper.
&ldquo;I saw with my eyes, the emotion. He is one of my biggest inspirations. And the gold medal in the 100m from Marcell (Jacobs). That was a big inspiration, too, because before the 100m, Marcell was a long jumper.&rdquo;
Considering his own progression,&nbsp;Furlani&nbsp;added: &ldquo;Every year I beat my personal best and maybe this year (2024) people expected more evolution from me. Maybe this is one important point of this year: to try to evolve year after year.&rdquo;
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

At the age of just 19, the Italian jumps talent became an Olympic medallist, a world indoor medallist, a European medallist and a world U20 record-holder

Rising Star Furlani's leaps of confidence

Sembo Almayew is a rising star who has steadily been soaring since making her major international debut as a 17-year-old at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon in 2022.
Since then, the Ethiopian steeplechase specialist has become a world U20 champion and an Olympic finalist, those achievements contributing to her being named Women&rsquo;s Rising Star at the World Athletics Awards 2024 in Monaco in December.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/67768bc8af3e5ee68047caf6.JPG" alt="Rising Stars Mattia Furlani and Sembo Almayew on stage at the World Athletics Awards 2024" />
Rising Stars Mattia Furlani and Sembo Almayew on stage at the World Athletics Awards 2024 (&copy; World Athletics)
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There she was joined by the likes of Olympic champions Sifan Hassan and Letsile Tebogo &ndash; named the <a href="https://worldathletics.org/awards/news/hassan-tebogo-world-athletics-awards-2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">overall World Athletes of the Year</a> &ndash; and now Almayew has ambitions of following in their footsteps to claim a global senior medal of her own.
&ldquo;This year, at the Olympics, I was thinking I could finish in the top three, but that day was not my day &ndash; I could not achieve a medal,&rdquo; reflected Almayew, who finished fifth in the 3000m steeplechase at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the age of just 19.
&ldquo;This year, I am going to try to at least get medals, or to win.
&ldquo;I am very happy to have met Sifan here and be talking to her,&rdquo; added Almayew, who named Olympic marathon champion Hassan and her fellow Athlete of the Year nominee Faith Kipyegon, the three-time Olympic 1500m gold medallist, as athletes who inspire her.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/674ca0695a7474627ee8ce71.JPG" alt="World Athletics Awards 2024" />
World Athletics Awards 2024 (&copy; World Athletics)
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Almayew has already emulated 2012 1500m winner Kipyegon at U20 level on the track, having added her age-group gold from Lima in August to the silver medal she secured in Cali in 2022.
The Ethiopian teenager is among a select group of athletes to have competed at both the World U20 Championships and that year&rsquo;s respective major senior competition at the past two opportunities: the World Athletics Championships before the World U20 Championships in 2022, and the Paris 2024 Olympics before the World U20 Championships in 2024. During the year in between, she made the 3000m steeplechase final at the World Championships in Budapest.&nbsp;
&ldquo;For my result in Lima, plus the Olympics Games, to have these chances I give thanks to God,&rdquo; Almayew said through an interpreter when asked about her Olympic experience. &ldquo;To already be at the Olympics at my age, I am very happy. To finish top five looks good for me at this age.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66bddd370f3a7fdd92bb2549.jpg" alt="Sembo Almayew in the 3000m steeplechase final in Paris" />
Sembo Almayew in the 3000m steeplechase final in Paris (&copy; Dan Vernon)
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But this is not the first year in which Almayew has been doing great things for her age. In 2022, in the lead up to making her World Championships debut in Oregon, she ran 9:09.19 to finish second at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Paris, improving her own world U18 best of 9:18.98 she had set in Hengelo 12 days prior.&nbsp;
At the World U20 Championships in Cali she secured her silver medal behind Kenya&rsquo;s 2023 Rising Star Faith Cherotich, who has already gone on to become an Olympic and world bronze medallist.
Then, in Florence in 2023, Almayew clinched her first Diamond League win, setting an Ethiopian U20 record of 9:00.71. She followed that by finishing 12th in the world final in Budapest. That Florence performance places Almayew third on the world U20 all-time list and 15th on the senior list, and the 19-year-old was just 0.12 off that mark at the Paris Olympics, where she finished fifth, 23 days before winning her world U20 title.
Almayew is part of a talented athletics family and she wasn&rsquo;t the only sibling to get a medal in Lima. Her 16-year-old sister Marta won the world U20 cross country title in Belgrade in March and later added a track medal to her haul, becoming a world U20 3000m bronze medallist the day after Sembo claimed her steeplechase title.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/67768c5caf3e5ee68047caf9.jpg" alt="Sembo Almayew celebrates her world U20 title in Lima" />
Sembo Almayew celebrates her world U20 title in Lima (&copy; Oscar Munoz Badilla)
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&ldquo;Our family is talented in athletics,&rdquo; explained Sembo, who set a championship record to become Ethiopia&rsquo;s first ever world U20 women&rsquo;s steeplechase champion. &ldquo;Four of my sisters run.
&ldquo;First, I was a 1500m runner, but I did a small steeplechase race. In the 1500m I was fourth and my coach advised me to run the steeplechase race. Without any training, I got third place.&rdquo;
Sembo was inspired by her older sister Mesegan to take up athletics and has received strong support from her family, particularly her father who used to do athletics at school. Previously guided by Birhanu Mekonnen, Sembo is now coached by Hussein Shibo and is targeting the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing as well as the World Championships in Tokyo in 2025.
She will undoubtedly already be inspiring the next generation of athletes with her performances and asked for her advice to them, Sembo replied: &ldquo;If young athletes can work hard, tomorrow they can get my chance of today.&rdquo;
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

Sembo Almayew is a rising star who has steadily been soaring since making her major international debut as a 17-year-old

Rising Star Almayew ready to soar

Tamirat Tola earned Ethiopia&rsquo;s only gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics with an extraordinary performance in the men&rsquo;s marathon.
On a uniquely testing course, and in gruelling conditions, he won gold in an Olympic record of 2:06:26 &ndash; a performance that was all the more remarkable for the fact that he had only been called into the team with two weeks&rsquo; notice as a replacement for his injured compatriot Sisay Lemma.
The 33-year-old, who earned Olympic bronze over 10,000m in 2016, thus added a second global marathon title to his collection after his victory at the 2022 World Athletics Championships.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66b72e51553963b671cc1242.jpg" alt="Tamirat Tola wins the marathon at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games" />
Tamirat Tola wins the marathon at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games (&copy; Christel Saneh for World Athletics )
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<h2>Tola&rsquo;s 2024 in numbers</h2>
With the hills, and the heat, it was tough enough to run on the Paris marathon course. But you set an Olympic record of 2:06:26. How did you manage this feat?
&ldquo;It was a very difficult course in Paris. But the only thought in my mind was that I could not lose. Our country had won no gold medals on the track, and the marathon races were the last chance for us, so I needed to make the most of my talent.&rdquo;
&nbsp;
Many athletes found the steep hills and long descents of the Paris course the toughest they had faced, particularly around the 28km mark. Where did it hurt most for you?
&ldquo;It was hardest from 27 to 30 kilometres, with the steep hill and the long drop. I wasn&rsquo;t thinking about the time, but when I finished I had the Olympic record, which was another reason to be proud.
&ldquo;My coach had told me that this was a very difficult course, so when I arrived in Paris I thought about how I could run my best on this course. I used this challenge as motivation, and thankfully I overcame it.
&ldquo;In athletics, challenges are part of the sport. And we always have to do the best for our country.&rdquo;
&nbsp;
This was your second global marathon title following your success at the 2022 World Championships. How did the two victories compare?
&ldquo;In 2022 it was not easy, all the champions were also there. In the past I had been concentrating on the 10,000m, which led to the Olympic bronze medal in 2016. After that I won the marathon silver at the 2017 World Championships in London.
&ldquo;I improved my talent in 2022 to win the gold medal. I was happy at that time because after a long injury I was able to win for my country.
&ldquo;In 2023 I lost that title because of a problem with my stomach. But that made it all the more amazing to fulfil my goals at the Olympics in Paris.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/62d44d211e279df31a804ad1.jpg" alt="Tamirat Tola wins the world marathon title in a championship record in Oregon" />
Tamirat Tola wins the world marathon title in a championship record in Oregon (&copy; Getty Images)
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&nbsp;
You had just two weeks to prepare after being told you were running in the Olympic marathon following the withdrawal of Sisay Lemma, after which you stepped up as the third Ethiopian entrant alongside Deresa Geleta and Kenenisa Bekele. How did you manage this challenge?
&ldquo;For three months together with Kenenisa, Lemma, Deresa and I prepared for the national team. At that time my coach said, &lsquo;prepare with them, and if you are not needed for Paris then go to do the New York City marathon&rsquo;.
&ldquo;When I heard the news that I was on the team, I was really excited for the following two weeks. But for Sisay, it wasn&rsquo;t an easy decision because it was for our country. We discussed it with him and he said, &lsquo;It won&rsquo;t be easy for me to run injured in Paris, so you go&rsquo;.
&ldquo;When I got to Paris, I was thinking about how I could challenge (Eliud) Kipchoge and other athletes. I knew the main contenders. There were lots of talented athletes.
&ldquo;But I reminded myself that I had worked hard. And when I got in front in the final kilometres, I knew I could win.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6765842f6461240cfad541f2.jpg" alt="Tamirat Tola in the marathon at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games" />
Tamirat Tola in the marathon at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games (&copy; Getty Images)
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In Paris you became the fourth Ethiopian to win the Olympic marathon title after Abebe Bikila in 1960 and 1964, Mamo Wolde in 1968 and Gezahegne Abera in 2000. How proud are you to have done this, and what inspiration did you take from your victorious compatriots?
&ldquo;I did not expect to win because I knew there were runners there like Eliud Kipchoge, the two-time winner. But once I got ahead, I knew I could do it.
&ldquo;For a long time after Gezahegne, for 24 years, we were without an Ethiopian win in the men&rsquo;s marathon at the Olympics. I was happy to attain this goal in a Games record and to join the other Olympic champions.
&ldquo;It was Ethiopia&rsquo;s only gold medal in Paris &ndash; I was able to provide happiness for our country.&rdquo;
Mike Rowbottom for World Athletics

Tamirat Tola earned Ethiopia’s only gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics

World out-of-stadium athlete of the year Tamirat Tola’s 2024 – in numbers

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was named women&rsquo;s track athlete of the year at the World Athletics Awards 2024 in Monaco after a season in which she twice lowered her own world 400m hurdles record and retained her Olympic title.
At this summer&rsquo;s Paris Games, she also helped the United States make a successful defence of the women&rsquo;s 4x400m title.
McLaughlin-Levrone&rsquo;s first world record of the year came at the US Olympic Trials which she won in 50.65, taking 0.03 off the world record she had set on the same track two years earlier in securing the world title.
In Paris, the day after her 25th birthday, she lowered that mark to 50.37 to add a second Olympic 400m hurdles gold to the one she had won three years earlier in Tokyo.
She followed up by running the second leg for a US 4x400m relay team that won gold in a North American record of 3:15.27, the second-fastest time in history and just 0.10 shy of the long-standing world record.
Speaking on stage with her award at the Theatre Princess Grace, McLaughlin-Levrone commented: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s an honour to come here to have the season that the team have had together be recognised. We are always going to find something we can improve.
&ldquo;It was an amazing year. I&rsquo;m so grateful being able to be healthy coming back after last year. The ultimately glory goes to God. I am so super-honoured to be here.
Asked about her targets for next year, she replied with a smile: &ldquo;I honestly don&rsquo;t really know! Mondo&rsquo;s already training. Maybe I should be!&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6762a4b0312ca00b3d84dce8.jpg" alt="Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone at the 2024 World Athletics Awards" />
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone at the 2024 World Athletics Awards (&copy; Christel Saneh for World Athletics)
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<h2> McLaughlin-Levrone&rsquo;s 2024 in numbers</h2>
You broke the world 400m hurdles record twice in 2024, taking it from 50.68 to 50.65, and then 50.37. Do you think going below 50 seconds is now a possibility?
&ldquo;That definitely is on my mind for sure. An athlete would naturally want to do that. Whether that happens or not is up to God. I&rsquo;m just going to work for it, I can&rsquo;t put a number on it.
&ldquo;It may be me, or maybe an athlete in five or 10 years from now. So I&rsquo;m just going to continue to try to be the best I can be and if it comes it comes, and if it doesn&rsquo;t, it doesn&rsquo;t.
&ldquo;But I think for me it&rsquo;s just the desire to improve. Every time you go back to the table and look at it, there is always something you can do better. It&rsquo;s exciting in the hurdles, that there is always something you can improve on.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6762ab0bb43c1ec381e7e2b0.jpg" alt="Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone wins the 400m hurdles at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games" />
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone wins the 400m hurdles at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
</div>
 
You have now set six consecutive world records in the women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles. Do you have a favourite?
&ldquo;I think you can&rsquo;t ever beat the first time,&rdquo; she said, referring to her mark of 51.90 set at the US Olympic Trials in Eugene three years ago, which beat the record of 52.16 compatriot Dalilah Muhammad had set in beating her to the 2019 world title.
&ldquo;It was the first moment of realising that my childhood dreams came true. Going under 52, all that hard work, seeing it come to fruition &ndash; I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;ll ever get past it.
&ldquo;Realising that barrier was possible to break. Learning about myself as an athlete. That race, for me, was the stepping stone. We then were able to see that we could push this further and further.&rdquo;
&nbsp;
You ran 47.71 on the second leg as the United States won the Olympic 4x400m title in 3:15.27, the second-fastest time in history. You have also run 48.74 in individual competition, just 0.04 off the US record. How do you see your 400m flat running progressing?
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s always amazing to run with those ladies. We are really together now and we have our own training situations. Representing the USA together and getting that gold in Paris was just a really special moment.
&ldquo;The 400m flat almost hurts a bit more than the hurdles, to be honest. You&rsquo;re going faster and you definitely feel that. But I think the open 400m is very helpful in terms of speed endurance, and it&rsquo;s always very helpful to have those hurdles in your mind when you&rsquo;re running it.
&ldquo;So they&rsquo;re both great, and hopefully I will get some more opportunities next year to do some flat 400s.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6762ab3fb43c1ec381e7e2b6.jpg" alt="The US 4x400m team celebrates their victory at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games" />
The US 4x400m team celebrates their victory at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
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The next summer Olympics in 2028 are due to take place in Los Angeles. Your thoughts?
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s super-exciting to be able to have the Games in LA, where I&rsquo;m training right now. I drive by the Coliseum at times and imagine what it is going to look like during the Olympics. I hope LA is going to be prepared for that moment. I know it will be. It&rsquo;s a really special opportunity to have the Olympics in our back yard.&rdquo;
&nbsp;
Only two women have broken 51 seconds for the 400m hurdles &ndash; you and Femke Bol. How do you rate her as competition and how do you see your rivalry playing out in the next few years?
&ldquo;I think every athlete is focused on themselves, to be honest, because you still have to jump over those 10 hurdles. Obviously Femke is a wonderful competitor and there are so many women in our event that are just getting faster and faster. So you always have to show respect for your opposition because you never know what anyone is going to produce on any given day.
&ldquo;But like I said, it&rsquo;s you against you. And you have to be prepared to be at your highest level when you step on the track, because our event is going to heights I don&rsquo;t think any of us imagined &ndash; which is amazing because we are all just pushing one another to be the best. And I am really happy to be a part of this transition.&rdquo;
&nbsp;
You have said that moments after winning the 400m hurdles world title in 2022, you experienced the worst physical pain of your life. Was the post-race pain better or worse in Paris?
&ldquo;Believe it or not, it actually was better in Paris, although still very painful! But I think my body got used to 50-point and what it felt like going into shock.
&ldquo;In Paris it was a bit better for sure because I knew what to expect. So the second half of the race and what that felt like was a little bit better this time around.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6762ab1eb43c1ec381e7e2b3.jpg" alt="Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in Paris" />
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in Paris (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
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You have achieved enormous success in your career so far. What is the one thing you have found hardest?
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think this will be a shock to the media but I think that for me would be the media and their opinions and stories of you they write. I know it&rsquo;s their job to get an interesting story, but their story may not always reflect the truth.
&ldquo;To any young athlete who is still very impressionable and trying to discover who they are, having the whole world have an opinion about them can be a little overwhelming.
&ldquo;And I think that&rsquo;s something that can be very difficult, especially on the world stage when you see articles that are written about you that are not true, and things that are posted about you that are not true.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s very easy to let that get into your mind, into your performance, and I think that&rsquo;s something I tell young athletes all the time that is just something you have to be aware of what you let into your mind and into your circle. Because it can affect you.&rdquo;
Mike Rowbottom for World Athletics

A numerical look back at Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's 2024 season

World track athlete of the year Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s 2024 – in numbers

Mondo Duplantis, named as the men&rsquo;s field athlete of the year at the World Athletics Awards 2024, has further adorned his status as the greatest male pole vaulter with another year of dizzying achievement.
After retaining his world indoor title in Glasgow, the Swedish phenomenon &ndash; who only turned 25 on 10 November &ndash; went on to tick all the boxes as he set three more world records, bringing his total to 10.
The first came at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Xiamen on 20 April, when he cleared 6.24m. Next came the ultimate athletic experience as he retained his Olympic title with a clearance of 6.25m in a packed Stade de France in which he was not only the last man standing in his event, but the last athlete competing on the night.
Twenty days later, at the Silesia Diamond League meeting, he added a further centimetre to his best mark.
Duplantis also retained his European title in Rome thanks to a championship record of 6.10m.
And he also found time to win a personal 100m challenge with Norway&rsquo;s world 400m hurdles champion and world record-holder Karsten Warholm in a race that took place during the Zurich Diamond League meeting. Duplantis clocked 10.37 &ndash; underlining the speed he has on tap to convert into height&hellip;
In a recorded message played at the Theatre Princess Grace when his latest award was announced, Duplantis &ndash; who was training in the United States &ndash; paid tribute to his mother Helena, a former heptathlete and volleyball player, and his father Greg, a former pole vaulter with a best of 5.80m.
&ldquo;This is always special and hard to wrap my head around,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I am very appreciative. There is nothing more important than an Olympic year for us athletes, so I&rsquo;m grateful things worked out the way they did and I performed the way I did.
&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t give enough thanks to my family who are my team &ndash; my mum and dad are my trainer and technical coach. I couldn&rsquo;t be in the situation I&rsquo;m in today without them, fighting for world and Olympic gold medals and doing other things I&rsquo;ve dreamed of since I was a little kid.
&ldquo;Right now I&rsquo;m back here in the United States working for next year.
&ldquo;Thanks so much &ndash; this award truly means so much to me and my family.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66b12b4d3b4bba6b2abdb529.jpg" alt="Mondo Duplantis at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games" />
Mondo Duplantis at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games (&copy; Dan Vernon)
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<h2> Duplantis&rsquo;s 2024 in numbers</h2>
After retaining your Olympic title at the Paris 2024 Games in front of a huge crowd in the Stade de France, you raised your world record by a centimetre when you cleared 6.25m on your third attempt. How did that feel to you?
"It was one of those things that don&rsquo;t really feel real, such an out-of-body experience. I had just broken a world record at the Olympics &ndash; the biggest possible stage for a pole vaulter.
&ldquo;The biggest dream since I was a kid was to break the world record at the Olympics, and I&rsquo;d been able to do that in front of the most ridiculous crowd I&rsquo;ve ever competed in front of."
&nbsp;
You have now set 10 consecutive world pole vault records. Did you feel something of this kind might happen once you had set your first one when you cleared 6.17m in Torun in February 2020, then 6.18m a week later in Glasgow?
&ldquo;It was very important to me to show that the first world record wasn&rsquo;t a fluke. It was like &lsquo;This was what&rsquo;s to come. This is what I am, this is the level I am competing at&rsquo;. I didn&rsquo;t just happen to get over the 6.17m.
&ldquo;I wanted to show that I could do the next one, and do it even easier than the first one.&rdquo;
&nbsp;
Your most recent world record, set in Silesia, was 6.26m. You&rsquo;ll never guess this question. Oh yes you will. How much higher can you go?
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve said numerous times that I want to jump over 6.30m. Because I think that&rsquo;s very possible and it just seems like the next real barrier to get over for pole vaulters in general.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s something that can happen when everything just comes together in the right way, but I don&rsquo;t think about it so much, honestly. I think I will just let it come, and it will just come.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66e1c48c98560f77a695b07d.jpg" alt="Mondo Duplantis in Continental Tour Gold action" />
Mondo Duplantis in Continental Tour Gold action (&copy; Sona Maleterova)
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&nbsp;
You tend to have seven or eight poles in your bag. How does this number work for you?
&ldquo;I am always trying to use stiffer and stronger poles. If I can put more energy into a stiffer pole it is going to fling me up higher. It&rsquo;s going to catapult me up there.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m always trying to improve that aspect and to use different poles. There always seems to be a pole for the year &ndash; one I did my good jumps on.&rdquo;
&nbsp;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66c642126265d4433918343a.jpg" alt="Mondo Duplantis at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Lausanne" />
Mondo Duplantis at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Lausanne (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
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&nbsp;
Reflecting on your 10th and most recent world record, the 6.26m you cleared at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Silesia on 25 August, how close to the perfect jump did it feel?
&ldquo;My first world record also came in Poland, indoors in Torun, so I had great memories from there. The track was wonderful, the conditions were perfect, everything just came together to allow me to do it.
&ldquo;It is just about being in good shape and believing you can do it. I always want to jump as high as I possibly can and to keep pushing. But I have never hit a jump that felt absolutely perfect, so I always feel like I can do better.&rdquo;
Mike Rowbottom for World Athletics

Mondo Duplantis has further adorned his status as the greatest male pole vaulter with another year of dizzying achievement

World field athlete of the year Mondo Duplantis’s 2024 – in numbers

Yaroslava Mahuchikh, named as the women&rsquo;s field athlete of the year at the World Athletics Awards 2024, has delivered gifts of the highest order to her country of Ukraine as it continues to resist invasion by Russia.
On 7 July in Paris the 23-year-old high jumper from Dnipro broke one of the oldest world records as she cleared 2.10m to better the 2.09m set by Bulgaria&rsquo;s Stefka Kostadinova at the 1987 World Championships.
Two months later, Mahuchikh returned to the French capital and added Olympic gold to the bronze she earned in Tokyo three years prior as she took the Paris 2024 title on countback from Australia&rsquo;s Nicola Olyslagers after both had cleared 2.00m.
&ldquo;It is an incredible honour to be here to receive this award,&rdquo; Mahuchikh said after being named world field event athlete of the year. &ldquo;This year has been full of challenges but I had unforgettable moments with the Olympic title and world record.
&ldquo;I want to thank my team for believing in me in through this time. Ukrainians are inspiring. They are so strong. I tried to show in my way that we are strong and that we will never give up.
&ldquo;I always believed I could break the world record. It was my dream to get it, but I didn&rsquo;t expect to get it before the Olympic Games. I wanted to give the celebration to my country and I did it.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/67599ef17d649c7a8611cb07.jpg" alt="Yaroslava Mahuchikh at the World Athletics Awards 2024" />
Yaroslava Mahuchikh at the World Athletics Awards 2024 (&copy; Christel Saneh for World Athletics)
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&nbsp;
<h2>Mahuchikh&rsquo;s 2024 in numbers</h2>
You reached two athletics peaks this year &ndash; Olympic gold and a world record of 2.10m. Can you reflect upon those achievements?
&ldquo;It was a fantastic year for me because my two dreams &ndash; winning the Olympic title and breaking the world record &ndash; came true. And the most important thing for me was that I was able to bring that home to my people. I have just spent two months in Ukraine, back home in Dnipro. It was a fantastic two months, despite the rocket attacks.
&ldquo;Coming into 2024 my personal bests were 2.06m indoors and 2.05m outdoors, so I had a four-centimetre improvement in 2024. In high jumping, every centimetre counts. But I was ready; I was in good shape, ready to jump a personal best. My mentality was strong.&rdquo;
&nbsp;
You added one centimetre to the world record set by Stefka Kostadinova at the 1987 World Championships in Rome when you cleared 2.10m at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Paris. How long had you been seriously dreaming of doing this?
&ldquo;The world record was my dream, my goal. I always believed it was possible one day. My manager always said it was possible, everything is possible. But a lot of other people said it was one of the oldest records and the possibility to break it had been exhausted.
&ldquo;Now I have jumped it and proved that women can jump higher than 2.09m &ndash; and I hope higher than 2.10m.
&ldquo;In sport, the mentality is the most important thing that should be good. When you come to the stadium, you should be ready to show the results of your work.
&ldquo;So on the morning of the Paris meeting I was ready, I was in good shape, and I had the feeling that something good should happen &ndash; and it happened.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/668aaf135e7b38f835e73def.JPG" alt="Yaroslava Mahuchikh in the high jump in Paris" />
Yaroslava Mahuchikh in the high jump in Paris (&copy; Christel Saneh for World Athletics)
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&ldquo;I made some mistakes. Then something fantastic happened. First I cleared 2.07m for a Ukrainian record. I was so happy. I felt I should try one attempt at 2.10m and I told my coach Tetyana Stepanova.
&ldquo;I had just recovered from a minor injury and of course the Olympic Games were coming up. But I said I will try one attempt. And she said &lsquo;OK. Let&rsquo;s try. Keep working.&rsquo;
&ldquo;I walked away like, &lsquo;yes, yes I can do it! Yes, I am ready to jump.&rsquo; And then I asked the spectators to clap. And I did it first time! It was an incredible, fantastic feeling.
&ldquo;Sometimes athletes feel their body better. Coaches can see mistakes, but they cannot feel what is in your body.
&ldquo;The realisation only came to me when I was back in Ukraine during the past two months. I was thinking, &lsquo;yes, we made history with my team&rsquo;.&rdquo;
&nbsp;
What is the balance in performance between the mental and physical aspects? Is it 60-40, or 40-60, or 50-50&hellip;?
&ldquo;I think 50-50 &ndash; you can be ready physically 100 per cent but if you are not ready mentally you will not do well. In sport, the mentality is the most important thing that should be good. When you come to the stadium you should be ready to show the results of your work.
&ldquo;I know a lot of people who train and show good results, but when they go to the stadium they see a lot of people, they feel pressure, they cannot run or jump because they are so excited. Mentally you should be really strong and be ready for the results.&rdquo;
&nbsp;
You are 1.82m tall. Is there an ideal height for high jumping &ndash; and is it your height?
&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s best for a high jumper to be about 1.75m to 1.80m. There are girls who are 1.90m but they cannot always jump well because they can&rsquo;t figure out how the body works around the bar. You should feel your way over the bar.&rdquo;
&nbsp;
You cleared a best of 2.00m at the Paris 2024 Olympics &ndash; but that was enough to win on countback. How was that experience for you?
&ldquo;The world record gave me more confidence. It was my second Olympics, so I knew how it worked. I remember I said to myself, &lsquo;I am the world record holder now and I should show the best results.&rsquo;
&ldquo;I did 2.00m and Nicola did the same. But my coach always tells me you should try to clear heights on the first attempt because sometimes it can mean a medal.
&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t feel much pressure. A lot of people expected gold from me but I tried not to think about that, I tried to enjoy it because it was a celebration of sport. I just wanted to jump and give some emotion to people.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66afed2840478bb274a4353b.jpg" alt="Yaroslava Mahuchikh in the high jump at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games" />
Yaroslava Mahuchikh in the high jump at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games (&copy; Dan Vernon)
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&nbsp;
You made your best ever start to a season this year when you cleared 2.04m indoors in Cottbus on 31 January. Did you sense then that 2024 was going to be special for you?
&ldquo;It was great competition in Cottbus at the start of the season. When I jumped 2.04m I was so happy because I hadn&rsquo;t jumped that high for a long time.
&ldquo;Then before the outdoor season we decided to add two steps to my run-up to make it 11 steps. For five years I had jumped with the same technique, but I had got faster and I had more power and we wanted to improve and show better results because it was Olympic year, and the Olympics is the most important competition.
&ldquo;I wanted to jump higher at the Olympics, I was ready. My coach was a little bit disappointed! But I said we should enjoy the gold medal. At the next Games I would like to break the Olympic record of 2.06m.&rdquo;
&nbsp;
What are your big targets for 2025?
&ldquo;The indoor season, we have the European Indoor Championships and the World Indoors. I&rsquo;m looking forward to it because it was postponed from 2020 and finally it will happen. I know that I have a lot of fans from China &ndash; when I was at the Diamond League in Xiamen a lot of fans came to me and wrote to me. My manager gave me a lot of letters from fans. I am looking forward to going back.
"I just want to enjoy the atmosphere and produce a good result. I already have a gold medal and a silver medal from the World Indoor Championships, so of course I want to win a second gold medal. That is my ambition.&rdquo;
Mike Rowbottom for World Athletics

A look back over Yaroslava Mahuchikh's 2024 season

World field athlete of the year Yaroslava Mahuchikh’s 2024 – in numbers

Norwegian decathlete Sander Skotheim has been named winner of the International Fair Play Award as part of the World Athletics Awards 2024.
Following nominations from fans, members of the International Fair Play Committee (CIFP) and World Athletics formed a jury to decide on a shortlist of five fair play moments in athletics from 2024, before Skotheim was declared the winner.
Skotheim&rsquo;s fair play moment occurred at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where the 22-year-old had been in contention for a medal. Despite the disappointment of no-heighting in the pole vault &ndash; the eighth of the 10 decathlon disciplines &ndash; meaning that he was no longer in contention for a medal, the world indoor and European silver medallist decided to continue competing. In the process Skotheim supported his compatriot Markus Rooth, helping his teammate in the final discipline &ndash; the 1500m.
Rooth gained gold for Norway with a national record score of 8796 points, winning the Olympic title by 48 points.
&ldquo;I feel honoured to get this award,&rdquo; said Skotheim, whose performance in Paris included his first eight metre-plus long jump &ndash; that 8.03m jump being the longest leap of the competition. Skotheim&rsquo;s year also included a decathlon PB of 8635 that secured him European silver in Rome and a heptathlon national record of 6407 that gained him a world indoor medal.
&ldquo;The Olympics was a very interesting experience for me, since I had a very good competition and then I no-heighted in the pole vault and it ruined my medal chances. At the same time, Markus had a very good pole vault competition that put him in an excellent position to win.
&ldquo;As a multi-eventer I love to compete, so despite my own disappointment I wanted to finish the decathlon, and help Markus on his way to a gold for Norway. In the 1500m we made a plan to ensure that Markus would win the decathlon and my part was to make his race in the 1500m as easy as possible.&rdquo;
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said: &ldquo;I am incredibly proud that our sport continues to be such an example when it comes to moments of fair play, integrity and camaraderie among athletes. We are seeing it across all different athletics disciplines &ndash; on the track, field and road.
&ldquo;To rebound after a setback the way Sander did is the mark of a great athlete. The true test of character is in the difficult times, it&rsquo;s not when everything is going well, so I congratulate Sander for his sportsmanship and resilience &ndash; he is a worthy recipient of this award.&rdquo;
CIFP President Jeno Kamuti said: &ldquo;It is wonderful to witness such an unselfish act from an athlete on the most important stage in the sporting world, the Olympic Games. Our relationship with World Athletics is now more than 20 years, and it has been a pleasure collaborating with President Coe and his team. It is particularly pleasing to me that we have expanded the collaboration beyond the World Athletics Championships and we now jointly evaluate proposals from athletics competitions throughout the whole year. Congratulations to Sander Skotheim.&rdquo;
The CIFP was established 60 years ago to promote the principles of fair play in sport: fair competition, respect, friendship, team spirit, equality and sport without doping. It honours those who respect the written and unwritten rules of sport, which include integrity, solidarity, tolerance, care, excellence and joy, and who set an example for others, on and off the field. The CIFP&rsquo;s first collaboration with World Athletics dates back to the 2003 World Athletics Championships in Paris. Twelve awards have been handed out since then.
World Athletics

Norwegian decathlete Sander Skotheim has been named winner of the International Fair Play Award as part of the World Athletics Awards 2024.

Skotheim wins International Fair Play Award

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/netherlands/sifan-hassan-14489606" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sifan Hassan</a>&rsquo;s extraordinary performance at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where she claimed 5000m and 10,000m bronze before winning the marathon in an Olympic record, was honoured at the World Athletics Awards 2024 in Monaco on Sunday (1).
The 31-year-old won the women&rsquo;s out of stadium category before being named as women&rsquo;s World Athlete of the Year.
The Dutch star earned the final athletics gold of the Paris Olympics in gruelling conditions on a course reckoned to be one of the most challenging ever seen at the Games.
Her marathon victory was confirmed in dramatic fashion as she clashed with Ethiopia&rsquo;s Tigist Assefa on the run-in before moving away over the final 100 metres to finish three seconds clear &ndash; the narrowest margin in any women&rsquo;s Olympic marathon.
&ldquo;I am so honoured,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Being named World Athlete of the Year among such incredible athletes, and on such a year, means the world to me. Since I was young, I watched marathon runners with admiration. They made me wonder if I could run like them, or if I could even finish a marathon. I used to wonder if I could even race a 10km.
&ldquo;This year, my curiosity pushed me to take a risk and compete in three distances at the Paris Olympics. It was terrifying, and that made each finish line more meaningful. It wasn&rsquo;t perfect, but sometimes happiness comes from embracing imperfections.
&ldquo;This award isn&rsquo;t just for me, my team, or my family. It&rsquo;s for every young girl out there, watching, dreaming, and believing she can achieve greatness through sport. To all of you, I want to say: keep exercising, keep training, keep pushing, keep believing, and always remember that no dream is too big.&rdquo;
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pMpF5w_hSl0?si=4BiDxn7GJKazj3o_" width="100%" height="475" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> 
<h2>Hassan&rsquo;s 2024 in numbers</h2>
 At the Paris Olympics you became the first woman to win medals in the 5000m, 10,000m and marathon at the same Games, and the first athlete since Emil Zatopek, who won all three men&rsquo;s titles in Helsinki in 1952. Does this kind of historic statistic resonate with you?
&ldquo;To me, it&rsquo;s not about history, it&rsquo;s about what I can do. Everybody is different. I focus on what I can do, how I can show my strength. How am I going to improve, even my weaknesses? So, I am always excited, curious to see what I can do.&rdquo;
 The Paris 2024 marathon course has gone down as one of the toughest and most challenging in Olympic history, taking place in gruelling conditions and featuring one long, sustained climb and a second almost vertiginous climb around the 29km marker before a long, steep, giddy downhill stretch heading back into the city centre. What are your memories of this unique challenge?
&ldquo;After I ran the Tokyo marathon, I looked at the Paris course. I started really practising to run 600 metres up, then 800 metres down. I did it so often that I couldn&rsquo;t sit down, I couldn&rsquo;t run. I almost injured myself.
&ldquo;My coach said to me: &lsquo;Why are you only focusing on this?&rsquo; And I said: &lsquo;You didn&rsquo;t see what I saw!&rsquo; Really, before Paris, I overtrained. I felt like I was done.
&ldquo;When it came to the hill &ndash; here we go! &ndash; I was almost walking. Everybody was running, but I thought: 'I&rsquo;m going to catch you because this downhill will be crazy'. I knew how hard it would be. And because of the practice, it made it less hard. It was a crazy course &ndash; but it was beautiful.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/674f0eebaf5869093fddd2a2.jpg" alt="Sifan Hassan during the marathon in Paris" />
Sifan Hassan during the marathon in Paris (&copy; Mattia Ozbot)
</div>
Your marathon win in an Olympic record of 2:22:55 came just 37 hours after you had won 10,000m bronze, and six days after your 5000m bronze. What did you do to prepare in that short time?
&ldquo;After the 10,000m I had an ice bath and there was doping control, so I got back late to the village. When I race, really, I talk too much. I can&rsquo;t stop talking. I stayed awake until 6am and had maybe one or two hours&rsquo; sleep. Then the next day there was the medal ceremony.
&ldquo;The night before the marathon I remember cursing myself, hating myself, saying: &lsquo;Why have you done the track, you&rsquo;ve got the marathon tomorrow!&rsquo;
&ldquo;I woke up at 4am and I was telling myself: 'This is the wrong thing I have done'. Then before the race, I looked at everybody and how fresh they were. And I looked terrible! I was so scared of myself. I tried talking to myself then, getting ready to use my brain to run.
&ldquo;After I won, I got to sleep at 3am. The night had been crazy with media and supporters. I heard my name a lot, and saw a lot of orange! After a couple more days, I felt the pain.&rdquo;
 In the marathon, you finished three seconds clear after outsprinting Ethiopia&rsquo;s then world record-holder Tigist Assefa. It was the smallest ever winning margin in the women&rsquo;s marathon at the Games. Were you always confident you could beat her? How well do you remember your collision on the run-in?
&ldquo;You know, when I run there is always some kind of big drama. And that marathon I told myself I will do everything. At one point, I thought I was going to fall down. I didn&rsquo;t want to fall down &ndash; it would look bad. So it was crazy. You know, I don&rsquo;t really like drama, but drama follows me.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/674f0fadaf5869093fddd2a5.jpg" alt="Sifan Hassan at the World Athletics Awards 2024" />
Sifan Hassan at the World Athletics Awards 2024 (&copy; Christel Saneh for World Athletics)
</div>
You have now run four marathons &ndash; London and Chicago in 2023, Tokyo and Paris this year. How many marathons do you think you will run in 2025?
&ldquo;My first three marathons were all different and for the Olympic marathon, I was really fighting myself. One side of me said: 'concentrate on the marathon', the other side said: 'better that you do the track'. I was really struggling with myself. I didn&rsquo;t have confidence I was going to win after the track.
&ldquo;But I think I&rsquo;m going to do the track and road again, because I just want to do those things, a combination of track and road close to each other. Because I am very curious. I really like it because I don&rsquo;t know for sure if it is going to happen. I like the excitement.
&ldquo;One time, I want to do four marathons in a year &ndash; from February to February. I want to see if it is possible.&rdquo;
Mike Rowbottom for World Athletics

Sifan Hassan’s extraordinary performance at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where she claimed 5000m and 10,000m bronze before winning the marathon in an Olympic record, was honoured at the World Athletics Awards 2024

World Athlete of the Year Sifan Hassan's 2024 – in numbers

A season of historic achievement by 21-year-old <a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/botswana/letsile-tebogo-14883897" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Letsile Tebogo</a> was richly acknowledged in Monaco on Sunday (1) as he was announced as the men&rsquo;s World Athlete of the Year at the World Athletics Awards 2024.
Tebogo, who also accepted an award as men&rsquo;s track athlete of the year, earned Botswana&rsquo;s first Olympic gold medal in any sport as he won the 200m at the Paris Games in an African record of 19.46.
The next day he helped Botswana reach the men&rsquo;s 4x400m final, where his extraordinary final leg earned silver behind the United States in an African record of 2:54.53. His split of 43.04 is among the fastest ever recorded.
Tebogo&rsquo;s Paris showing &ndash; which was marked with a national holiday &ndash; had begun with a sixth-place finish in the 100m final in a national record of 9.86.
Speaking on stage at the Theatre Princesse Grace in Monaco, Tebogo &ndash; who had dedicated his Olympic performances to his late mother Seratiwa &ndash; said: &ldquo;It feels good to know that what you have been putting in throughout the year is now giving you some of the fruits that you have been waiting for. I&rsquo;m grateful for the team that was around me.&rdquo;
Looking ahead, he added: &ldquo;I believe the next year is going to be a different Letsile; he&rsquo;s going to be a changed and a mature one.&rdquo;
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Hj68OaqPC_k?si=MhzctEw5MWBvC7lh" width="100%" height="475" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> 
<h2>Tebogo&rsquo;s 2024 in numbers</h2>
 Your 200m win in Paris was a first ever Olympic gold medal in any sport for Botswana. How does it feel to make that kind of history and have a national holiday declared in your honour?
&ldquo;It was a great feeling. I didn&rsquo;t expect the President to give out a holiday in my honour, but it was one of the greatest feelings ever. When I went into that race, the first thing I thought was changing the perspective of Africa from being a long-distance continent into being a short-distance continent. I looked at a lot of factors and I knew I had everything in me to make it happen.
&ldquo;So that made me more hungry to succeed. The night before the final I had to set down why I had started in this journey and what I wanted to achieve. At the end of the Olympic Games, would I achieve what I wanted to achieve? So that&rsquo;s how I came to my conclusion. And I also thought that a lot of people were relying on me to make everything happen.&rdquo;
 You won the Olympic 200m title in an African record of 19.46. You also ran nine sub-20 second 200m races this season. How important was this consistency to your performance in Paris and how were you able to achieve it?
&ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t even count how many 19-second races I ran in this season. Because it was Olympic year, there was just that drive in me that wanted to keep on going, even though we had to cut some races. But if it was nine times, I believe it. It showed we were really on the right track and that this was just the beginning.
&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t change anything in training &ndash; it was just a combination of things I have been working on. It was the same environment, the same places across the continents. Nothing has really changed in our training sessions. The confidence came in from the 200m. So that&rsquo;s how we went about it.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/674f14025e34d95ffccfafe7.jpg" alt="Letsile Tebogo at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco" />
Letsile Tebogo at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
At the World Athletics Relays in May you ran a split of 43.72 to help Botswana win the 4x400m. And when you ran the anchor leg to help Botswana earn Olympic silver you clocked 43.04. Were you surprised at what you managed to achieve, and how do you rate the relay successes?
&ldquo;In Paris I was supposed to run the final only but we had an injury and we had to look at the options. They chose me to hand over the baton in the heats. They said I should just jog out the race but when I saw the splits it was really crazy.
&ldquo;The day of the final was the one we had all been waiting for and I was ready to give it my best. When we found out I had split 43-zero it was just crazy and we couldn&rsquo;t believe it. Looking at how many times I had run during the Olympics, it showed that we were really hungry for that medal.
&ldquo;It meant more because it was a group thing. From the beginning of the camp, that is what we had locked ourselves in for. We were happy with the silver because it was an improvement from the Tokyo Olympics and hopefully in LA 2028 we will get the gold medal.&rdquo; 
You set two national records in the 100m &ndash; 9.88 in London and 9.86 in the Olympic final. You also set a world 300m best of 30.69 in Pretoria. How do you see your career progressing &ndash; will it involve the 100m and 200m, or the 200m and 400m, or all of them?
&ldquo;I think for now it will be all of them. I don&rsquo;t want to limit myself into a particular event. I just want to leave it open so that I know when I am training that they can use me again in the 400m, not just be the sprints guy.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/674def34290bce3928afddd5.jpg" alt="Letsile Tebogo at the World Athletics Awards 2024" />
Letsile Tebogo at the World Athletics Awards 2024 (&copy; Sona Maleterova)
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You are only 21 and you have achieved so much already. What would you hope to have on your CV at 31?
&ldquo;I would just like to be in the history books as the youngest guy to ever do it, at 21 or 22 or whenever.&rdquo;
 Your mum was your number one. How did you manage to achieve what you did in a year when she so sadly died?
&ldquo;I think firstly I am grateful for the team that was around me &ndash; my teammates, my coach, my family members. Because when my mother passed away, I thought it was the end of my career. Because there was no drive in me. But I remember one day I was asked: &lsquo;Just come and watch us train.&rsquo; So I did that, and I started getting more interested again to get back into the sport.&nbsp;It was a really tough balance, but I&rsquo;m glad that when my mother saw that it was coming to an end, she to me: &lsquo;I have tried to be strong my son, now it is your turn.&rsquo; So I think she was preparing me for what was going to happen.
&ldquo;It was not an easy journey and it was not an easy thing for me to overcome. I had to also be there for my little sister, be there for myself. My sister is 12. I don&rsquo;t think she is going to follow in my footsteps because she is more into swimming, but she is proud of me.&rdquo;
Mike Rowbottom for World Athletics

A season of historic achievement by 21-year-old Letsile Tebogo was richly acknowledged in Monaco as he was announced as the men’s World Athlete of the Year

World Athlete of the Year Letsile Tebogo's 2024 – in numbers

Olympic champions Sifan Hassan and Letsile Tebogo have been announced as World Athletes of the Year at the World Athletics Awards 2024 in Monaco.
Following a vote by fans, Hassan and Tebogo received top honours on an evening that saw six athletes crowned in three categories &ndash; track, field and out of stadium &ndash; before the overall two winners were revealed.
Tebogo was confirmed as men&rsquo;s track athlete of the year, with Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone receiving the women&rsquo;s honour. Hassan claimed the women&rsquo;s out of stadium crown and Tamirat Tola the men&rsquo;s, while Mondo Duplantis and Yaroslava Mahuchikh were named field athletes of the year.
This year&rsquo;s Rising Stars were also celebrated, with Sembo Almayew and Mattia Furlani receiving recognition.
<h3>World Athletes of the Year for 2024</h3>
Women&rsquo;s World Athlete of the Year: Sifan Hassan (NED) Men&rsquo;s World Athlete of the Year: Letsile Tebogo (BOT)
Women&rsquo;s track: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA) Women&rsquo;s field: Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR) Women&rsquo;s out of stadium: Sifan Hassan (NED) Men&rsquo;s track: Letsile Tebogo (BOT) Men&rsquo;s field: Mondo Duplantis (SWE) Men&rsquo;s out of stadium: Tamirat Tola (ETH)
Women&rsquo;s Rising Star: Sembo Almayew (ETH) Men&rsquo;s Rising Star: Mattia Furlani (ITA)
Watch the full 2024 World Athletics Awards show exclusively on Inside Track:<a href="https://worldathletics.org/videos/playlist/latest-videos/674d8ca46b6a1bb5c8c6c1a3" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/674e2e99005014a8550afdfa.jpg" alt="Watch the full 2024 World Athletics Awards show exclusively on Inside Track" /></a>
&ldquo;At the end of what has been a stellar year for athletics, we are delighted to reveal our list of World Athletes of the Year &ndash; both in their respective disciplines and overall,&rdquo; said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe. &ldquo;This group of athletes represents the very best of our sport and has this year redefined what is possible in terms of athletic performance.
&ldquo;Our 2024 cohort set new standards in heights, speed and distance, including six world records and a host of Olympic and national records between them.
&ldquo;I congratulate all our award winners, and all of the athletes nominated for these honours, and I thank them for inspiring us all with their performances this year.&rdquo;
World Athletes of the Year Hassan and Tebogo both won gold and claimed multiple medals at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Dutch star Hassan&rsquo;s medal treble in Paris was capped by her winning the final athletics gold medal of the Games with her triumph in the marathon in an Olympic record of 2:22:55.&nbsp;That performance came just 37 hours after Hassan claimed bronze in the 10,000m, and six days after her first medal in the French capital &ndash; also bronze &ndash; in the 5000m.
As a result, she became the first woman to win medals in the 5000m, 10,000m and marathon at the same Games, and the first athlete since Emil Zatopek, who won all three men&rsquo;s titles in Helsinki in 1952.
Tebogo also made history in Paris when he won the 200m, as he claimed a first ever Olympic gold medal in any sport for Botswana. He ran an African record of 19.46 &ndash; a time that moved him to fifth on the world all-time list &ndash; and that performance followed his sixth-place finish in the 100m final. He went on to form part of Botswana&rsquo;s silver medal-winning men&rsquo;s 4x400m team.
He dipped under 20 seconds for 200m a total of nine times in 2024, with those performances topped by his Olympic title-winning mark which remained the fastest of the year.
His fellow track athlete of the year, McLaughlin-Levrone, improved her own world 400m hurdles record twice, to 50.65 and 50.37, and claimed Olympic gold in that event as well as in the 4x400m. Tola, who joined Hassan in being named out of stadium athlete of the year, won the Olympic marathon title in Paris in an Olympic record.
World records were set by both field athletes of the year. Mahuchikh cleared 2.10m to improve the world high jump record before winning Olympic gold, while Duplantis revised his own world pole vault record three times, eventually taking it to 6.26m, and won the Olympic title.
"Thank you to the fans, to everybody who voted," said Hassan, who was in Monaco to receive her two awards. "I never thought I was going to win this one. This year was crazy. It&rsquo;s not only me &ndash; all the athletes have been amazing. I&rsquo;m really grateful. What more can I say?"
Standing alongside Hassan on the stage at the Theatre Princesse Grace, Tebogo said: "It feels amazing to know that the fans are always there for us athletes. It was a great year.
"This means a lot," he added. "It&rsquo;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&rsquo;t expect this."
During the ceremony, a moment was taken to remember last year&rsquo;s men&rsquo;s out of stadium athlete of the year Kelvin Kiptum, the marathon world record-holder who died in a road traffic accident in February, as well as other figures from the sport who have passed away in 2024.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/674ca0695a7474627ee8ce71.JPG" alt="World Athletics Awards 2024" />
World Athletics Awards 2024 (&copy; World Athletics)
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<h2>Almayew and Furlani named Rising Stars of 2024</h2>
Not only did Sembo Almayew and Mattia Furlani achieve great things as U20 athletes in 2024, they both also secured success on the senior stage.
Almayew finished fifth in the 3000m steeplechase final at the Paris Olympics, going close to her own national U20 record with her 9:00.83 performance, before she travelled to Lima where she won the world U20 title, setting a championship record in the process. With that win, the 19-year-old became the first ever Ethiopian world U20 women&rsquo;s steeplechase champion.
Furlani improved the world U20 long jump record to 8.38m at the European Championships on home soil in Rome to secure silver, and he won two more senior major medals at the World Indoor Championships, where he got another silver, and the Olympic Games, where he claimed bronze.
In Glasgow &ndash; at the age of 19 years and 24 days &ndash; Furlani became the youngest athlete ever to win a world indoor medal in the horizontal jumps.
<h2>Knight wins President&rsquo;s Award</h2>
The winner of the President&rsquo;s Award was also announced in Monaco on Sunday (1), with Nike co-founder Phil Knight receiving the honour in recognition of his constant inspiring support for athletics and the development of the sport.
The President's Award, first awarded in 2016, recognises and honours exceptional service to athletics. Past winners of the award include the Ukrainian Athletics Association, British journalist Vikki Orvice, Swiss meeting director Andreas Brugger, Jamaican sprint superstar Usain Bolt, the Abbott World Marathon Majors, and 1968 men&rsquo;s 200m medallists Tommie Smith, Peter Norman and John Carlos for their iconic moment on the podium in Mexico.
&ldquo;Phil Knight&rsquo;s passion for athletics is pretty much lifelong,&rdquo; said Coe. &ldquo;He developed an almost father-son relationship with his coach, the legendary Bill Bowerman, whose training approach was a departure from the orthodoxies of the day and who not only guided Knight&rsquo;s career on the track but became a central figure when Phil took his first tentative steps in the running shoe business that became the dominant global force Nike.
&ldquo;His love of athletics runs through Nike. It is a business created and driven by runners, with Phil never afraid to be the front runner.&rdquo;
Knight said: &ldquo;Thank you, Seb Coe, for the ultimate honour of the President&rsquo;s Award, given by World Athletics. I am in great company, with Tommie Smith and John Carlos, and Usain Bolt. Obviously, I didn&rsquo;t run as fast as those guys, but I am in such high company that I am thrilled by the award. Track and field has always been an important part of Nike &ndash; it has always been a central part of who Nike is.
&ldquo;I do think running will continue to grow. Not only does Seb and his team do a great job promoting the sport, but it is a sport that not only is enjoyable, but it is probably the best fitness activity you can do. So, for me to win this honour, it is very meaningful.&rdquo;
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<h2>Other award winners</h2>
Coaching Achievement Award <a href="https://worldathletics.org/awards/news/coaching-achievement-award-2024-trevor-painter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trevor Painter</a>
Woman of the Year <a href="https://worldathletics.org/awards/news/woman-of-the-year-2024-renee-washington" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Renee Washington</a>
Photograph of the Year <a href="https://worldathletics.org/awards/news/photograph-year-award-2024-michael-steele" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michael Steele</a>
Member Federation Award <a href="https://worldathletics.org/awards/news/member-federation-award-2024-usatf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">USA Track &amp; Field</a>
 World Athletics

Olympic champions Sifan Hassan and Letsile Tebogo have been announced as World Athletes of the Year at the World Athletics Awards 2024 in Monaco

Hassan and Tebogo named World Athletes of the Year

USA Track &amp; Field has been named as winner of the Member Federation Award, the fourth honour announced as part of the World Athletics Awards 2024.
The Member Federation Award recognises a Member Federation that has distinguished itself in its accomplishments throughout the year and, as a result, positively contributed to the growth and profile of the sport. Six federations were shortlisted for this year&rsquo;s award, each nominated by one of the six area associations, before USA Track &amp; Field was selected as the winner.
&ldquo;On behalf of USA Track &amp; Field, I am deeply honoured to accept the World Athletics Member Federation Award,&rdquo; said USA Track &amp; Field CEO Max Siegel. &ldquo;This recognition is a testament to the incredible dedication, talent and teamwork of our entire USA Track &amp; Field family - our staff, our coaches, our athletes, members and volunteers who strive for excellence every day.&rdquo;
The US team finished top of the medal table at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, securing 34 medals, 14 of them gold. Those gold medal-winning performances included world records by Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in the 400m hurdles and by the mixed 4x400m team. The team&rsquo;s Olympic performance in Paris was driven by a diverse range of medals in sprints, jumps and throws.
The federation also showcased its strength on the field of play by achieving top spot on the medal tables at the World Athletics U20 Championships Lima 24 and the World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 24. In Lima the team claimed 16 medals, including eight gold, and in Glasgow the team&rsquo;s tally was 20 medals, six of them gold.
One of the key factors behind these successes has been the implementation of an athletics development programme that covers all categories and events. From youth to elite levels, USATF has created a structure that identifies, nurtures and supports talents across the country, providing athletes with access to quality coaching, high level facilities and opportunities to compete.
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&ldquo;2024 has been a truly remarkable year, filled with extraordinary achievements, personal bests and historic milestones on the global stage. I&rsquo;m incredibly proud of the journey we have taken together at USATF, showcasing our dominance on the track and field, from the World U20 Championships to the Paris Olympic Games and the World Masters Championships,&rdquo; added Siegel.
&ldquo;But this award reflects not only our accomplishments on the field, but also the values that drive us as an organisation, including integrity, inclusivity, leadership, innovation and an unwavering commitment to being the gold standard in everything that we do.&nbsp;
&ldquo;As we close out this unforgettable year, I&rsquo;m confident that the momentum from 2024 will carry us into a thrilling 2025. In less than four years, the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games will bring the world to our doorstep, providing a once-in-a-lifetime chance to elevate our sport and highlight the extraordinary talent of our athletes on home soil. USATF remains committed to advancing the sport, empowering the next generation of champions and leading with excellence.&rdquo;
Further World Athletics Awards announcements will be made this weekend, with the World Athletes of the Year and Rising Stars being revealed on Sunday (1 December).
World Athletics

USA Track & Field has been named as winner of the Member Federation Award, the fourth honour announced as part of the World Athletics Awards 2024

Nominees announced for Field Athlete of the Year 2025

Best photographs of 2025 to be recognised as part of World Athletics Awards

Nominees announced for Track Athlete of the Year 2025

World Athletes of the Year 1988-2024

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