The World Athletics Awards are annual awards to honor athletes participating in events within the sport of athletics. These are organised by World Athletics and include track and field, cross country running, road running, and racewalking.
The first athletes awarded World Athlete of the Year in 1988 were Americans, namely sprinter Florence Griffith-Joyner and track and field athlete Carl Lewis.
Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt is the only athlete to win the World Athlete of the Year Awards six times. Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva and Morocco’s middle-distance runner Hicham El Guerrouj have won the main award three times. Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis has also won the award three times including the inaugural World Athlete of the Year (Men’s Field) award in 2023 after World Athletics Awards changed from crowning a sole male and female winner to issuing awards across six categories.
American track and field athlete Marion Jones, sprinter Sanya Richards-Ross representing the US, Carl Lewis and other American sprinter Michael Johnson, Ethiopia’s long-distance runner Kenenisa Bekele, Kenya’s long-distance runner Eliud Kipchoge and Venezuela’s triple-jumper Yulima Rojas have won the award twice each.
Also Read: Indian Athletics Calendar 2026: List Of Events
World Athletics Athlete Of The Year Awards: List Of Winners In History
| Year | Men | Women |
| 1988 | Carl Lewis (USA) | Florence Griffith Joyner (USA) |
| 1989 | Roger Kingdom (USA) | Ana Fidelia Quirot (CUB) |
| 1990 | Steve Backley (GBR) | Merlene Ottey (JAM) |
| 1991 | Carl Lewis (USA) | Katrin Krabbe (GER) |
| 1992 | Kevin Young (USA) | Heike Henkel (GER) |
| 1993 | Colin Jackson (GBR) | Sally Gunnell (GBR) |
| 1994 | Noureddine Morceli (ALG) | Jackie Joyner-Kersee (USA) |
| 1995 | Jonathan Edwards (GBR) | Gwen Torrence (USA) |
| 1996 | Michael Johnson (USA) | Svetlana Masterkova (RUS) |
| 1997 | Wilson Kipketer (DEN) | Marion Jones (USA) |
| 1998 | Haile Gebrselassie (ETH) | Marion Jones (USA) |
| 1999 | Michael Johnson (USA) | Gabriela Szabo (ROU) |
| 2000 | Jan Zelezny (CZE) | Marion Jones (USA) |
| 2001 | Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR) | Stacy Dragila (USA) |
| 2002 | Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR) | Paula Radcliffe (GBR) |
| 2003 | Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR) | Hestrie Cloete (RSA) |
| 2004 | Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) | Yelena Isinbaeva (RUS) |
| 2005 | Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) | Yelena Isinbaeva (RUS) |
| 2006 | Asafa Powell (JAM) | Sanya Richards (USA) |
| 2007 | Tyson Gay (USA) | Meseret Defar (ETH) |
| 2008 | Usain Bolt (JAM) | Yelena Isinbaeva (RUS) |
| 2009 | Usain Bolt (JAM) | Sanya Richards (USA) |
| 2010 | David Rudisha (KEN) | Blanka Vlasic (CRO) |
| 2011 | Usain Bolt (JAM) | Sally Pearson (AUS) |
| 2012 | Usain Bolt (JAM) | Allyson Felix (USA) |
| 2013 | Usain Bolt (JAM) | Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (JAM) |
| 2014 | Renaud Lavillenie (FRA) | Valerie Adams (NZL) |
| 2015 | Ashton Eaton (USA) | Genzebe Dibaba (ETH) |
| 2016 | Usain Bolt (JAM) | Almaz Ayana (ETH) |
| 2017 | Mutaz Essa Barshim (QAT) | Nafissatou Thiam (BEL) |
| 2018 | Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) | Caterine Ibarguen (COL) |
| 2019 | Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) | Dalilah Muhammad (USA) |
| 2020 | Mondo Duplantis (SWE) | Yulimar Rojas (VEN) |
| 2021 | Karsten Warholm (NOR) | Elaine Thompson-Herah (JAM) |
| 2022 | Mondo Duplantis (SWE) | Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA) |
| 2023 | Noah Lyles (USA) | Faith Kipyegon (KEN) |
| 2024 | Letsile Tebogo (BOT) | Sifan Hassan (NED) |
| 2025 | Mando Duplantis (SWE) | Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA) |
