Letsile Tebogo, Sifan Hassan scoop World Athlete of the Year awards

Olympic gold medalist Letsile Tebogo has been crowned the Male World Athlete of the Year as part of the World Athletics Awards 2024 made official on Sunday 1 December.

The 21-year-old from Botswana on the way to the award, was also named the Male Track Athlete of the Year winner, beating Olympic 5000m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen to the prize.

The announcements were made by the global athletics body following a final round of voting – cast by fans of the sport – that took place between 4-10 November to decide who the overall World Athlete of the Year is.

On the women’s side, Olympic marathon champion Sifan Hassan was crowned the Female World Athlete of the Year, while also scooping the Female Out of Stadium Athlete of the Year category.

In winning the latter, Sifan, who became the first Olympic athlete -male or female - to win medals in the marathon, 10,000m and 5,000m in Paris this year, defeated Ruth Chepngetich, Kenya’s sole representative in the final honors list after her record-breaking run in the Chicago Marathon in October.

For Tebogo, a top award to cap off the year is all deserved, following his incredible exploits in 2024 that saw him overcome the unfortunate passing of his mother to win Olympic 200m gold in Paris - first ever gold for Botswana - before anchoring his 4x400m relay team to a historic silver medal.

Letsile Tebogo serenaded by thousands after claiming Botswana's first Olympic gold [VIDEO]

He also set a 300m world best in Pretoria, South Africa in March.

As for the other honors handed out in an elaborate ceremony in Monaco, America’s Sydney McLaughlin - Levrone was voted the Female Track Athlete of the Year winner, edging Saint Lucia’s 100m Olympic gold medalist Julien Alfred.

Pole Vaulter Mondo Duplantis meanwhile took the Male Field Athlete of the Year award, with Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh winning the female’s version of it.

Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia, who won Olympic marathon gold and had been nominated alongside Ecuador’s Olympic 20km race walk champion Brian Pintado, was crowned the Male Out of Stadium Athlete of the Year.