Botswana’s first Olympic champion, Tebogo, wins big at 2024 World Athletics Awards
The Paris 2024 gold medallists took the big prizes at the 2024 World Athletics Awards in Monaco with Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Mondo Duplantis also collecting honours.
Letsile Tebogo and Sifan Hassan claimed the big prizes at the World Athletics Awards in Monaco on Sunday.
Tebogo became Botswana’s first Olympic champion at Paris 2024, breaking his own African record with a time of 19.46. The 21-year-old was named Male World Athlete of the Year as well as Male Track Athlete of the Year.
Dutchwoman Hassan collected the Female World Athlete of the Year award after winning her first global marathon title in the French capital less than 18 months after claiming the 2023 London Marathon on debut. Her Paris triumph made her the first athlete since Emil Zatopek to win medals in the 5000m, 10,000m and marathon at the same Games.
The 31-year-old previously completed the 5000m/10,000m double at Tokyo 2020 and added a bronze in 1500m.
Hassan also claimed the Female Out of Stadium Athlete of the Year award with Ethiopia’s men’s marathon gold medallist Tamirat Tola taking the men’s equivalent.
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During the ceremony, a moment’s silence was respected in memory of last year’s Male Out of Stadium Athlete of the Year Kelvin Kiptum who was killed in a car accident in February.
USA’s Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone won the Female Track Athlete of the Year award after breaking her own world record for the second time in 2024 to retain her Olympic 400m hurdles title in Paris.
Undisputed pole vault king Mondo Duplantis raised his own world record three times to hold on to his Male Field Athlete of the Year gong.
Ukraine’s Yaroslav Mahuchikh took the Female Field Athlete of the Year award after winning Olympic gold and breaking Stefka Kostadinova’s 37-year-old high jump world record.
The Male Rising Star of the Year award went to Italian teenager Mattia Furlani who took the long jump bronze in Paris. The female version went to Ethiopia’s Sembo Almayew after her fifth place in the Olympic 3000m steeplechase final.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said, “This group of athletes represents the very best of our sport and has this year redefined what is possible in terms of athletic performance.”
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