Botswana-born Olympic sprinter Letsile Tebogo and Dutch middle-distance runner Sifan Hassan have been named the World Athletes of the Year at the World Athletics Awards 2024 in Monaco.

“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’s not only me—all the athletes have been amazing. I’m really grateful. What more can I say?”

Meanwhile, 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. It’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’t expect this.”

They both won gold and claimed multiple medals at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Hassan’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. 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—also bronze—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’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—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.

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.

“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—both in their respective disciplines and overall,” said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe. “This group of athletes represents the very best of our sport and has this year redefined what is possible in terms of athletic performance.

“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.

“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.”

This year’s Rising Stars were also celebrated, with Sembo Almayew and Mattia Furlani receiving recognition.

World Athletes of the Year for 2024

• Women’s World Athlete of the Year: Sifan Hassan (NED)
• Men’s World Athlete of the Year: Letsile Tebogo (BOT)

• Women’s track: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA)
• Women’s field: Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR)
• Women’s out of stadium: Sifan Hassan (NED)
• Men’s track: Letsile Tebogo (BOT)
• Men’s field: Mondo Duplantis (SWE)
• Men’s out of stadium: Tamirat Tola (ETH)

• Women’s Rising Star: Sembo Almayew (ETH)
• Men’s Rising Star: Mattia Furlani (ITA)