African stars for World Athlete of the Year Awards

The 2024 World Athletics Awards are set to honour the world's top athletes, and Africa has strong contenders in both the track and field events.

The top two leading athletes in each category—track, field, and out of stadium—have been chosen from the first round of voting, which comprised votes from the World Athletics Council, the World Athletics Family, and a public vote on social media.

Athletes profiles

Letsile Tebogo (Botswana)

The 21-year-old sensation burst onto the scene with a historic 2024 Paris Olympic 200m gold medal and an African record. His speed and talent immediately captivated the world.

In winning the 200m title at the Paris Olympics, Letsile Tebogo claimed the first ever Olympic gold medal in any sport for Botswana.

He ran an African record of 19.46—a time that moved him to fifth on the world all-time list—and that performance followed his sixth-place finish in the 100m final.

He went on to form part of Botswana’s silver medal-winning men’s 4x400m team.

Ruth Chepngetich (Kenya)

The Kenyan marathon runner shattered world records and consistently delivered impressive performances, solidifying her position as one of the world's top distance runners.

Becoming the first woman to break 2:10 for 26.2 miles, she secured her third Chicago Marathon victory and a more than four-minute PB. Remarkably, only nine athletes went quicker in the men’s race. Her performance also included a split of 1:04:16 at halfway.

Tamirat Tola (Ethiopia)

The Ethiopian marathon runner claimed Olympic gold in a record-breaking time, showcasing his exceptional endurance and tactical prowess.

He might have been called into the Ethiopian team for Paris as a late replacement, but Tamirat Tola made the very most of the opportunity as he won the marathon in an Olympic record of 2:06:26.

Full list of nominees

Women’s track athlete of the year

Julien Alfred (Saint Lucia) – Olympic 100m champion

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA) – Olympic 400m hurdles champion

Men’s track athlete of the year

Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Norway) – Olympic 5000m champion

Letsile Tebogo (Botwana) – Olympic 200m champion

Women’s field athlete of the year

Yaroslava Mahuchikh (Ukraine) – Olympic high jump champion

Nafissatou Thiam (Belgium) – Olympic heptathlon champion

Men’s field athlete of the year

Mondo Duplantis (Sweden) – Olympic pole vault champion

Miltiadis Tentoglou (Greece) – Olympic long jump champion

Women’s Out of Stadium Athlete of the Year

Ruth Chepngetich (Kenya) – world marathon record-holder

Sifan Hassan (Netherlands) - Olympic marathon champion

Men’s out of stadium athlete of the year

Brian Pintado (Ecuador) – Olympic 20km race walk champion

Tamirat Tola (Ethiopia) – Olympic marathon champion

The Athletes of the Year in each category, as well as the overall winner, will be revealed at a ceremony in Monaco on Sunday, 1 December, as part of the World Athletics Awards 2024.