Track & Field News Athlete of the Year

The Track & Field News Athlete of the Year award is given to track and field athletes by Track & Field News magazine, an American sports magazine. A panel of international track and field experts organized by the magazine selects the winners. The award has been given to men since 1959 and women since 1974.

German sprinter Marita Koch won the award a record four times

Winners

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Year Male winner Nationality Female winner Nationality
1959 Martin Lauer   West Germany Not awarded
1960 Rafer Johnson   United States Not awarded
1961 Ralph Boston   United States Not awarded
1962 Peter Snell   New Zealand Not awarded
1963 Yang Chuan-Kwang   Taiwan Not awarded
1964 Peter Snell   New Zealand Not awarded
1965 Ron Clarke   Australia Not awarded
1966 Jim Ryun   United States Not awarded
1967 Jim Ryun   United States Not awarded
1968 Bob Beamon   United States Not awarded
1969 Bill Toomey   United States Not awarded
1970 Randy Matson   United States Not awarded
1971 Rod Milburn   United States Not awarded
1972 Lasse Virén   Finland Not awarded
1973 Ben Jipcho   Kenya Not awarded
1974 Rick Wohlhuter   United States Irena Szewińska   Poland
1975 John Walker   New Zealand Faina Melnik   Soviet Union
1976 Alberto Juantorena   Cuba Tatyana Kazankina   Soviet Union
1977 Alberto Juantorena   Cuba Rosemarie Ackermann   East Germany
1978 Henry Rono   Kenya Marita Koch   East Germany
1979 Sebastian Coe   United Kingdom Marita Koch   East Germany
1980 Edwin Moses   United States Ilona Slupianek   East Germany
1981 Sebastian Coe   United Kingdom Evelyn Ashford   United States
1982 Carl Lewis   United States Marita Koch   East Germany
1983 Carl Lewis   United States Jarmila Kratochvílová   Czechoslovakia
1984 Carl Lewis   United States Evelyn Ashford   United States
1985 Saïd Aouita   Morocco Marita Koch   East Germany
1986 Yuriy Sedykh   Soviet Union Jackie Joyner-Kersee   United States
1987 Saïd Aouita   Morocco Jackie Joyner-Kersee   United States
1988 Sergey Bubka   Soviet Union Florence Griffith-Joyner   United States
1989 Roger Kingdom   United States Ana Quirot   Cuba
1990 Michael Johnson   United States Merlene Ottey   Jamaica
1991 Sergey Bubka   Soviet Union Heike Henkel   Germany
1992 Kevin Young   United States Heike Drechsler   Germany
1993 Noureddine Morceli   Algeria Wang Junxia   China
1994 Noureddine Morceli   Algeria Jackie Joyner-Kersee   United States
1995 Haile Gebrselassie   Ethiopia Sonia O'Sullivan   Ireland
1996 Michael Johnson   United States Svetlana Masterkova   Russia
1997 Wilson Kipketer   Denmark Marion Jones   United States
1998 Haile Gebrselassie   Ethiopia Marion Jones   United States
1999 Hicham El Guerrouj   Morocco Gabriela Szabo   Romania
2000 Virgilijus Alekna   Lithuania Stacy Dragila   United States
2001 Hicham El Guerrouj   Morocco Stacy Dragila   United States
2002 Hicham El Guerrouj   Morocco Paula Radcliffe   United Kingdom
2003 Félix Sánchez   Dominican Republic Maria Mutola   Mozambique
2004 Kenenisa Bekele   Ethiopia Yelena Isinbayeva   Russia
2005 Kenenisa Bekele   Ethiopia Yelena Isinbayeva   Russia
2006 Asafa Powell   Jamaica Sanya Richards   United States
2007 Tyson Gay   United States Meseret Defar   Ethiopia
2008 Usain Bolt   Jamaica Tirunesh Dibaba   Ethiopia
2009 Usain Bolt   Jamaica Sanya Richards   United States
2010 David Rudisha   Kenya Blanka Vlašić   Croatia
2011 David Rudisha   Kenya Vivian Cheruiyot   Kenya
2012 David Rudisha   Kenya Valerie Adams   New Zealand
2013 Bohdan Bondarenko   Ukraine Valerie Adams   New Zealand
2014 Renaud Lavillenie   France Anita Włodarczyk   Poland
2015 Ashton Eaton   United States Genzebe Dibaba   Ethiopia
2016 Wayde van Niekerk   South Africa Anita Włodarczyk   Poland
2017 Mutaz Essa Barshim   Qatar Anita Włodarczyk   Poland
2018 Eliud Kipchoge   Kenya Caster Semenya   South Africa
2019 Karsten Warholm   Norway Dalilah Muhammad   United States
2020[1] MVP: Armand Duplantis   Sweden MVP: Yulimar Rojas   Venezuela
2021 Ryan Crouser   United States Elaine Thompson-Herah   Jamaica
2022 Armand Duplantis   Sweden Sydney McLaughlin   United States
2023 Ryan Crouser   United States Faith Kipyegon   Kenya

References

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  1. ^ No voting done due to the COVID-19 pandemic, "MVP" titles were awarded
Winner lists