| 100 Metres |
| Men's 100 Metres | Maurice Greene | M | | USA | 9.86 | Results |
| Women's 100 Metres | Marion Jones | F | | USA | 10.83 | Results |
| 200 Metres |
| Men's 200 Metres | Ato Boldon | M | | TTO | 20.04 | Results |
| Women's 200 Metres | Zhanna Block | F | | UKR | 22.32 | Results |
| 400 Metres |
| Men's 400 Metres | Michael Johnson | M | | USA | 44.12 | Results |
| Women's 400 Metres | Cathy Freeman | F | | AUS | 49.77 | Results |
| 800 Metres |
| Men's 800 Metres | Wilson Kipketer | M | | DEN | 1:43.38 | Results |
| Women's 800 Metres | Ana Fidelia Quirot | F | | CUB | 1:57.14 | Results |
| 1500 Metres |
| Men's 1500 Metres | Hicham El Guerrouj | M | | MAR | 3:35.83 | Results |
| Women's 1500 Metres | Carla Sacramento | F | | POR | 4:04.24 | Results |
| 5000 Metres |
| Men's 5000 Metres | Daniel Komen | M | | KEN | 13:07.38 | Results |
| Women's 5000 Metres | Gabriela Szabo | F | | ROU | 14:57.68 | Results |
| 10,000 Metres |
| Men's 10,000 Metres | Haile Gebrselassie | M | | ETH | 27:24.58 | Results |
| Women's 10,000 Metres | Sally Barsosio | F | | KEN | 31:32.92 | Results |
| Marathon |
| Men's Marathon | Abel Antón | M | | ESP | 2:13:16 | Results |
| Women's Marathon | Hiromi Suzuki | F | | JPN | 2:29:48 | Results |
| 3000 Metres Steeplechase |
| Men's 3000 Metres Steeplechase | Wilson Boit Kipketer | M | | KEN | 8:05.84 | Results |
| 100 Metres Hurdles |
| Women's 100 Metres Hurdles | Ludmila Engquist | F | | SWE | 12.50 | Results |
| 110 Metres Hurdles |
| Men's 110 Metres Hurdles | Allen Johnson | M | | USA | 12.93 | Results |
| 400 Metres Hurdles |
| Men's 400 Metres Hurdles | Stéphane Diagana | M | | FRA | 47.70 | Results |
| Women's 400 Metres Hurdles | Nezha Bidouane | F | | MAR | 52.97 | Results |
| Heptathlon |
| Women's Heptathlon | Sabine Braun | F | | GER | 6739 | Results |
| Decathlon |
| Men's Decathlon | Tomáš Dvořák | M | | CZE | 952 | Results |
| High Jump |
| Men's High Jump | Javier Sotomayor | M | | CUB | 2.37 | Results |
| Women's High Jump | Hanne Haugland | F | | NOR | 1.99 | Results |
| Pole Vault |
| Men's Pole Vault | Sergey Bubka | M | | UKR | 6.01 | Results |
| Long Jump |
| Men's Long Jump | Iván Pedroso | M | | CUB | 8.42 | Results |
| Women's Long Jump | Lyudmila Galkina | F | | RUS | 7.05 | Results |
| Triple Jump |
| Men's Triple Jump | Yoelbi Quesada | M | | CUB | 17.85 | Results |
| Women's Triple Jump | Šárka Kašparkova | F | | CZE | 15.20 | Results |
| Shot Put |
| Men's Shot Put | John Godina | M | | USA | 21.44 | Results |
| Women's Shot Put | Astrid Kumbernuss | F | | GER | 20.71 | Results |
| Discus Throw |
| Men's Discus Throw | Lars Riedel | M | | GER | 68.54 | Results |
| Women's Discus Throw | Beatrice Faumuina | F | | NZL | 66.82 | Results |
| Hammer Throw |
| Men's Hammer Throw | Heinz Weis | M | | GER | 81.78 | Results |
| Javelin Throw |
| Men's Javelin Throw | Marius Corbett | M | | RSA | 88.40 | Results |
| Women's Javelin Throw | Trine Hattestad | F | | NOR | 68.78 | Results |
| 10,000 Metres Race Walk |
| Women's 10,000 Metres Race Walk | Anna Rita Sidoti | F | | ITA | 42:55.49 | Results |
| 20 Kilometres Race Walk |
| Men's 20 Kilometres Race Walk | Daniel García Cordova | M | | MEX | 1:21:43 | Results |
| 50 Kilometres Race Walk |
| Men's 50 Kilometres Race Walk | Robert Korzeniowski | M | | POL | 3:44:46 | Results |
| 4x100 Metres Relay |
| Men's 4x100 Metres Relay | Canada | M | | CAN | 37.86 | Results |
| Women's 4x100 Metres Relay | United States | F | | USA | 41.47 | Results |
| 4x400 Metres Relay |
| Men's 4x400 Metres Relay | Great Britain & NI | M | | GBR | 2:56.65 | Results |
| Women's 4x400 Metres Relay | Germany | F | | GER | 3:20.92 | Results |
