2023 World Athletics Awards have changed from recognizing one male and female winner to awarding awards in six categories.
Duplantis, world and Olympic champion and 2020 and 2022 Athlete of the Year, was the first recipient of the men’s field award.
Other winners announced Monday included Tigist Assefa, Faith Kipyegon, Yulimar Rojas, Noah Lyles and Kelvin Kiptamu.
Based on feedback during the voting process, the awards were divided into three events.
Categories for men and women (Athletics, Field and Off-Street) and 23 world records were set during the year.
In 2023, Duplantis, Kiptum, Assefa, and Kipyegon set world records in their respective events, and all six award winners earned world titles or major marathon victories.
What World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said:
“The wealth of talent and outstanding achievements in our sport this year justifies the expansion of the World Athletics Awards to recognize the achievements of these six athletes across a variety of disciplines.
It is more than just that.”
“Our World’s Best Athletes alone achieved seven world records in 2023, as well as numerous world championship titles and major victories,
making them the Athlete of the Year in their respective disciplines.
It’s only natural that he be recognized as such.”
Duplantis, a 24-year-old Swede, broke world records twice and defended his world title in 2023.
27-year-old Ethiopian Assefa broke her women’s world record for the most time in 40 years by winning the Berlin Marathon and winning the Women’s Out of Stadium Cup.
Kipyegon, the women’s track and field champion, set world records in three distances:
1,500 meters, 5,000 meters and the mile, in a season in which the 29-year-old Kenyan won double gold at the World Athletics Championships.
Rojas, who won the women’s division, won her fourth world title in the triple jump, giving the 28-year-old Venezuelan her third consecutive Diamond League title.
American Lyles, 26, not only won the 100m and 200m at the World Championships, but also won the gold medal in the 4x100m,
taking home the men’s track and field award.
And finally,
24-year-old Kenyan Kiptum won the Men’s Out-of-Stadium Award after becoming the first athlete to run under 2 hours and 1 minute
The event happend in Chicago’s record-breaking marathon.
