Six champions named World Athletes of the Year in Monaco
This year's edition of the awards changed from crowning a sole male and female winnrs to issuing awards across six categories
Six athletes – Tigist Assefa, Mondo Duplantis, Kelvin Kiptum, Faith Kipyegon, Noah Lyles and Yulimar Rojas – have been announced as World Athletes of the Year for 2023.
The world champions and world record-breakers were the final winners to be revealed as part of the World Athletics Awards 2023 on Monday.
This year’s edition of the awards changed from crowning a sole male and female winnrs to issuing awards across six categories.
The adaptation of the World Athlete of the Year honours awarded this year follows feedback received during the voting process. Many sensational performances – including an extraordinary 23 world records* – were achieved in 2023. When it came to compiling the votes, athletes, fans and World Athletics Family members commented that it was incredibly hard to limit the vote to just one athlete, because of the various disciplines and the vast differences in skill sets required.
As a result, World Athletics divided the Athlete of the Year award into three event categories: track, field, and out of stadia.
World and Olympic champion pole-vaulter Duplantis, Athlete of the Year in 2020 and, 2022 took the inaugural men’s field award.
Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa, was awarded the women’s out-of-stadia trophy after winning the Berlin marathon winning the biggest single improvement of the women’s world record for 40 years.
Women’s track winner Faith Kipyegon set world records at three distances – 1500m, 5,000m and the mile – during a season in which the 29-year-old Kenyan achieved a golden double at the World Athletics Championships.
Women’s field winner Rojas claimed her fourth world triple jump title and the 28-year-old Venezuelan won her third consecutive Diamond League trophy.
American Lyles, 26, took the men’s track award after winning the 100m-200m double at the World Championships, as well as adding a 4x100m gold.
And finally, Kenya’s Kiptum, 24, claimed the men’s out-of-stadia award after becoming the first athlete to break two hours one minute in a record-eligible marathon in Chicago.
This year’s Rising Stars went to world 3000m steeplechase bronze medallist Faith Cherotich and world 800m silver medallist Emmanuel Wanyonyi.
“The depth of talent and the outstanding performances in our sport this year more than justify the expansion of the World Athletics Awards to recognise the accomplishments by these six athletes across a range of disciplines,” said World Athletics president Sebastian Coe.
“Our World Athletes of the Year alone have achieved seven world records between them in 2023, as well as a host of world titles and major wins, so it is only fitting that they be recognised as the athletes of the year in their respective fields.”
Story By: Princeton Wiredu
