FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Six stars named World Athletes of the Year in Monaco
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 (11),
following confirmation of this year's Rising Stars: world 3000m
steeplechase bronze medallist Faith Cherotich and world 800m silver
medallist Emmanuel Wanyonyi.
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, for 2023 the World Athlete
of the Year awards have been divided into three event categories: track,
field and out of stadia.
"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.
"I congratulate our award winners and all of the athletes nominated for
these honours."
World Athletes of the Year for 2023
Women's track: Faith Kipyegon, KEN, 1500m/mile/5000m
Women's field: Yulimar Rojas, VEN, triple jump
Women's out of stadia: Tigist Assefa, ETH, marathon
Men's track: Noah Lyles, USA, 100m/200m
Men's field: Mondo Duplantis, SWE, pole vault
Men's out of stadia: Kelvin Kiptum, KEN, marathon
Assefa, Duplantis, Kiptum and Kipyegon set world records in their
respective events in 2023, while all six World Athletes of the Year secured
world titles or major marathon wins.
The moment of the year for Assefa came at the BMW Berlin Marathon in
September, when the Ethiopian 27-year-old ran 2:11:53, smashing the world
record by two minutes and 14 seconds and achieving the biggest single
improvement on the mark for 40 years.
She finished almost six minutes ahead of her nearest rival after clocking
1:06:20 for the first half and an even faster 1:05:33 for the second half -
a time that just seven women have beaten this year in a standalone half
marathon.
Kiptum also achieved his world record in a World Athletics Platinum Label
road race, running 2:00:35 at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in
October. Becoming the first athlete to break 2:01 in a record-eligible
marathon, the 24-year-old Kenyan won the race by almost three and a half
minutes and took 34 seconds off Eliud Kipchoge's previous world record.
Just one year on from his marathon debut, Kiptum now has three of the seven
fastest times in history to his name having also won the TCS London
Marathon in April in 2:01:25.
Duplantis improved his world pole vault record both indoors and outdoors in
2023, while he also retained the world title and achieved 20 clearances of
6.00m or higher.
Indoors, the Swedish 24-year-old added a centimetre to his previous
outright best, clearing 6.22m in Clermont-Ferrand. During the outdoor
season, he secured his second consecutive world title in Budapest and then
won his third Wanda Diamond League trophy with a clearance of 6.23m on his
first attempt to better his world record by another centimetre.
Kipyegon set world records at an incredible three distances during a season
in which she also achieved a golden double at the World Athletics
Championships Budapest 23.
First, the 29-year-old Kenyan improved the world 1500m record to 3:49.11 in
Florence, taking almost a full second off the previous mark. Just one week
later, and despite having raced the 5000m just twice before, she improved
the world record for that event, too, clocking 14:05.20 in Paris to shave
1.42 seconds from the old record. Her third world record came in Monaco,
where she smashed the previous mile mark by five seconds, clocking 4:07.64.
Then, in Budapest, she won her third senior world 1500m title and her first
world 5000m crown.
Lyles also achieved an individual title double at the World Championships
in Budapest, winning 100m gold and retaining his 200m title before forming
part of USA's victorious 4x100m team.
The 26-year-old won the 100m in 9.83 - which saw him end the season as
joint world leader - and the 200m in 19.52. He went even faster at the
Diamond League meeting in London, clocking 19.47 to maintain his position
as world 200m leader for the sixth consecutive year, during a season in
which he was undefeated in six 200m finals.
Rojas won her fourth world outdoor title in Budapest and the Venezuelan
28-year-old also claimed her third consecutive Diamond League trophy.
Despite being in eighth place going into the final round at the World
Championships, the world record-holder kept her cool and managed to soar
15.08m with her final attempt, moving her into the lead by eight
centimetres. That secured her an eighth global gold medal. Then, at the
Diamond League Final in Eugene, she improved her world lead to 15.35m for a
mark just 39cm off her own world record.
Cherotich and Wanyonyi named Rising Stars of 2023
World U20 gold medallists Faith Cherotich and Emmanuel Wanyonyi made their
mark on the senior stage in 2023.
The Kenyan teenagers both won medals at the World Athletics Championships
Budapest 23, Cherotich claiming bronze in the 3000m steeplechase and
Wanyonyi securing silver in the 800m.
Cherotich, who won world U20 bronze in 2021 and gold in 2022, also moved to
second on the world U20 all-time list with 8:59.65 to finish third in the
Diamond League Final in Eugene, while she finished fourth in the U20 race
at the World Cross Country Championships.
As well as his world medal win, 2021 world U20 gold medallist Wanyonyi
became Diamond League champion in 2023, claiming the trophy in a PB of
1:42.80. He also won Diamond League races in Rabat, Paris and Xiamen and
formed part of Kenya's victorious world cross country mixed relay team.
Other award winners
Coaching Achievement Award
Laurent Meuwly
Woman of the Year
Falilatou Tchanile-Salifou
Photograph of the Year
Mattia Ozbot
Member Federation Award
Athletics Australia
President's Award
Abbott World Marathon Majors
International Fair Play Award
Letesenbet Gidey
*23 world records and nine world U20 records (two equalled), which includes
five senior and three U20 world records that are pending ratification
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