Vote in the AW Awards
This may have been a year of major disruption but there are still many great performances to celebrate and our annual awards are back for 2020. As always, we’re leaving the big decisions down to you – our discerning readers.
There are the usual categories to take in the finest performances from international, British, junior, masters and para athletes, but there is also one extra category this time around.
The December issue of AW, which will reveal our award winners, will also mark the magazine’s 75th anniversary and, to help us commemorate the occasion, we’re also asking you to vote for the greatest male and female athletes to have graced the sport since 1945.
Enjoy making your decisions and make sure you place your verdict before voting closes on November 13.
Check out the nominees below and then CLICK HERE to cast your votes
THE GREATEST
Men
Usain Bolt: The Jamaican’s name still looms over the sport, three years since his retirement. An eight-time Olympic and 11-time world champion, Bolt still holds the 100m and 200m world records, as well as the 4x100m mark.
Haile Gebrselassie: The two-time Olympic and four-time world champion over 10,000m is another who transcended his sport. Gebrselassie is also a former world record-holder at 5000m, 10,000m and the marathon, winning the Berlin marathon three times in a row.
Ed Moses: Few have dominated their event in the same way Ed Moses did the 400m hurdles. At the peak of his career, the American was unbeatable and won 122 consecutive races, setting the world record four times. He was also twice Olympic and world champion and became a key figure in developing anti-doping procedures.
Emil Zatopek: The Czech’s system of high volume interval training revolutionised endurance running. The 1948 Olympic 10,000m champion not only successfully defended that title four years later in Helsinki but also became the only man ever to also strike 5000m and marathon gold at the same games.
Al Oerter: The American discus thrower Al Oerter was the first track and field athlete to win four successive Olympic titles, clinching his first gold in 1956.
Women
Fanny Blankers-Koen: A trailblazer for female athletes, the Dutchwoman shot to global fame when, as a 30-year-old, she won four gold medals – the 100m, the 80m hurdles, the 200m and the 4x100m relay – at the London Olympics of 1948. She had been restricted to competing in just three individual events and, at the time was world record-holder in six disciplines.
Irena Szewinska: The Pole is the only athlete to have held the world record in the 100m, 200m and 400m and was European champion at the long jump. Szewinska garnered three Olympic golds in her career, setting the world record as she won the 400m at Montreal Games of 1976.
Jackie Joyner-Kersee: The American won both the 1988 Olympic heptathlon and long jump titles, going on to successfully defend her multi-event crown four years later. She was also a two-time heptathlon and long jump world champion and the first woman to score over 7000 points in the heptathlon.
Tirunesh Dibaba: The Ethiopian is three-time Olympic, five-time world and five-time world cross country champion (once
as a junior). She became 5000m world champion in 2003 aged 18 before creating more history by becoming the first woman to win the 5000m/10,000m double at the 2005 world championships and achieving the same accolade at the 2008 Olympics. Former world record-holder for 5000m.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce: The Jamaican is a two-time Olympic and four-time world champion over 100m, as well as winning 200m world gold in 2003. The first Jamaican woman to win Olympic 100m gold also has four world 4x100m relay, a Commonwealth 4x100m and one world indoor title to her name.
INTERNATIONAL ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Men
Karsten Warholm: The Norwegian two-time world champion clocked the second-fastest 400m hurdles in history when he broke his own European record with a time of 46.87 in Stockholm. He also achieved the unprecedented feat of running 47.10 or quicker four times in a single season.
Joshua Cheptegei: After his 12:51 road 5km in February and his 12:35.36 5000m on the track in August, the Ugandan world champion achieved his third world record of the year last month as he ran 26:11.00 to improve on the 10,000m mark set by Kenenisa Bekele in 2005 by more than six-and-a-half seconds.
Mondo Duplantis: The 20-year-old has dominated the pole vault both indoors and out this year, breaking the world record by clearing 6.18m in Glasgow one week after he had entered the history books with 6.17m. He also managed to break the outdoor record of 6.15m at the Diamond League meeting in Rome in September.
Shura Kitata: In a normal year, a marathon performance of 2:05:41 wouldn’t be too likely to create many headlines. 2020 has not been a normal year, however, and that time was enough for Kitata to not only win a sprint finish to the line in London, but also end Eliud Kipchoge’s remarkable winning marathon sequence.
Jacob Kiplimo: The Ugandan teenager has been in countryman Joshua Cheptegei’s shadow this year but has also shown moments of brilliance. Firstly, there was a memorable 3000m win over Jakob Ingebrigtsen at the Rome Diamond League before last month he became world half-marathon champion with a championship best of 58:49.
Ryan Crouser: The reigning Olympic champion has been Mr Consistency, breaking the 22-metre mark almost at will. He did so six times in one competition back in August – a feat which only Italian Alessandro Andrei has managed before. Crouser’s best of 22.91m put him joint third on the all-time lists.
Women
Sifan Hassan: The 27-year-old smashed Dire Tune’s world one-hour record by covering 18,930m on the track at the Van Damme Memorial meeting in Brussels in September before she ran 29:36.67 in the rain to break Paula Radcliffe’s European 10,000m record in Hengelo last month.
Letesenbet Gidey: The world 10,000m silver medallist broke fellow Ethiopian Tirunesh Dibaba’s long-standing 5000m world record, lowering the mark of 14:11.15 to 14:06.62 during the same meeting at which Joshua Cheptegei broke the men’s 25-lap record.
Faith Kipyegon: Her run of 2:29.15 at the Monaco Diamond League placed the Kenyan second on the world all-time 1000m list, while the Olympic champion also won the Ostrava Golden Spike 1500m meeting and clocked 1:57.68 in winning the 800m at the Doha Diamond League.
Brigid Kosgei: The woman who took over from Paula Radcliffe as marathon world record-holder was imperious in the rain and cold of London last month, storming away to successfully defend her title by over three minutes in a time of 2:18:58.
Peres Jepchirchir: The Kenyan broke the women-only half- marathon world record when clocking 65:34 in Prague at the beginning of September, before lowering that mark to 65:16 as she took the world half-marathon title in Poland last month.
Femke Bol: The Dutch athlete only took up the 400m hurdles last year but has already managed to lower her national record for the event to 53.79.
BRITISH ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Men
Daniel Rowden: Returned after stomach surgery in 2019 to run 1:44.09, which places him third on this summer’s world 800m rankings. Won the British title ahead of Jake Wightman.
Jake Smith: Ran 60:31 to finish 18th and top Brit on his senior GB debut at the World Athletics Half Marathon Championships, putting him third on the UK all-time list. Also ran 62:00 in third at the Big Half.
Mo Farah: Broke the world one-hour record on the track by covering a distance of 21,330m and won the Antrim Coast Half Marathon in 60:27 in his only other race of the year.
Harry Coppell: Cleared 5.85m to win the British title and break the national pole vault record, also clearing 5.80m twice indoors.
Jake Wightman: Moved to second on the British 1500m all-time list with 3:29.47 and also ran an 800m PB of 1:44.18.
Andrew Pozzi: Unbeaten indoors, the Italy-based athlete was ranked in the world top three both indoors and out with times of 7.48 and 13.14, equalling his 110m hurdles PB which sees him sit third on the UK all-time list.
Women
Jemma Reekie: Broke three British records inside eight days during the indoor season, in the 800m, 1500m and mile. Her 1:57.91 800m was a world indoor lead and she also ran 1:58.63 outdoors.
Jessie Knight: The hurdles specialist ran 51.57 to win the Müller Indoor Grand Prix Glasgow 400m and won the British title a week later. Won the UK outdoor 400m hurdles title and ran a 55.27 PB.
Holly Bradshaw: Cleared a best of 4.73m, with that mark securing the British pole vault record- holder one of her eight wins from 12 competitions this year.
Laura Muir: Set a British 1000m record of 2:30.82 and clocked 1500m times of 3:57.40, 3:57.86 and 3:58.24 to lead the world rankings.
Aimee Pratt: After leading the world 3000m steeplechase rankings she ended the summer placed eighth, with her PB of 9:30.73 to win the British title placing her fifth on the UK all-time list.
Laura Weightman: Ran 14:35.44 for 5000m to finish third in Monaco and move to second on the British all-time list. Won the UK 1500m title. Clocked PBs of 4:00.09 for 1500m and 8:26.07 for 3000m.
BRITISH JUNIOR ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Men
Max Burgin: The Halifax Harrier celebrated his 18th birthday in May and re-emerged to competition in August with a British under-20 800m record of 1:44.75 at Stretford. It also ranks him No.4 on the UK senior rankings for 2020 in a high-quality year for the event.
Kelechi Aguocha: The high jump is stacked with talent right now with the brilliant all-rounder Dominic Ogbechie and talented Cornishman Sam Brereton. But perhaps most impressive this year was Kelechi Aguocha of Blackheath & Bromley as he improved his PB from 2.10m to 2.22m during the indoor season to rank No.4 on the UK senior rankings for 2020.
Lewis Byng: The Harrow athlete, 19, improved his UK under-20 shot put record with the 6kg shot several times with a best of 20.26m at Moulton in September – almost a metre further than any other British junior in history. In addition his best with the senior shot was 18.56m to rank No.3 in the UK this year and he was runner-up to Scott Lincoln in the British Championships.
Women
Amy Hunt: Despite running a world age 200m record last year, the 18-year-old did not race at that distance in 2020. Instead she honed her speed at 100m with 11.39 (and 11.35 wind- assisted) to go No.4 on the UK senior rankings. In a short yet busy season she won British Champs bronze and gained Diamond League experience in Doha, whereas back in February she won the British 60m title.
Lucy-Jane Matthews: Runner-up to Olympic finalist Cindy Ofili in the British Championships, the Millfield School student ranks No.3 on the UK senior rankings in 2020 with 13.20 and the 18-year-old is on the rise after her European under-20 bronze in 2019.
Keely Hodgkinson: The Leigh Harrier won the British 800m crown indoors and outdoors. During the indoor season she also set a European under-20 800m record of 2:01.16 in Vienna while her outdoor best of 2:01.73 in Rovereto ranks her No.5 in the UK senior rankings this year.
WORLD MASTERS ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Men
Tommy Hughes: Irish Olympian who also runs for Leicester set a stunning world masters half-marathon record of 71:09 at Larne to even overshadow Mo Farah’s victory. He also set a world indoor M60 3000m record of 9:41.24.
Aramis Diaz: Former Cuban and now Italian with a 50.10 400m hurdles PB from 2012, set a world masters M45 record of 53.57 in Rome in September.
Herbert Mueller: German set a world M90 200m indoor record of 40.19 in the winter and he tops the world M90 lists for 2020 at 60m (11.50), 100m (18.88), 200m (40.16) and 400m (97.14).
Cees Stolwijk: The Dutchman already holds the M65 world indoor 1500m mark and added the M70 record with a 4:53.53 clocking – over half a minute quicker than anyone else in his age group this year.
Women
Rosa Pedersen: The Dane already held the world W85 long jump mark when winning the world masters title in Lyon in 2015 and she set a 2.52m W90 mark in Greve in August. On the same day she set a world W90 javelin mark of 15.32m and the following day set a shot record of 6.25m.
Julia Machin: British high jumper and former international pentathlete with a 1.92m PB broke the world W50 record with a 1.66m leap at Chelmsford in September, 31 years after she was fifth in the European Juniors. Started the year as a W45 and tops the UK age group rankings with her indoor marks at high jump, long jump and triple jump.
Anne Gilshinan: Irish athlete in her first indoor season as W55 set world age group indoor records at 800m (2:20.10), 1500m (4:46.10) and mile (5:13.90).
Kathleen Stewart: British athlete debuted in the W80s with a 90.37 world record at 400m and also set British W80 indoor records at 200m (39.13) and 800m (3:57.33).
WORLD PARA ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Men
Brent Lakatos: Loughborough-based Canadian won the Virgin Money London Marathon after a sprint finish, clocking 1:36:04 to finish two seconds ahead of David Weir. Also won the Big Half in a course record and the 400m wheelchair race at the British Championships.
David Weir: Britain’s eight-time winner was a close second to Brent Lakatos at the Virgin Money London Marathon, despite his glove slipping in the closing stages. Was also second behind Lakatos at the Big Half.
Tomoki Suzuki: Japanese racer won the Tokyo Marathon, breaking the course record with his time of 1:21:52.
Women
Hannah Cockroft: While the meeting wasn’t World Para Athletics sanctioned, so the times won’t stand as official world records, Britain’s five-time Paralympic gold medallist (above) went inside the world record marks for the 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m on one day at Stoke Mandeville.
Nikita den Boer: The Dutch racer claimed a surprise Virgin Money London Marathon win, clocking a big PB of 1:40:07 to beat pre-race favourite and defending champion Manuela Schär.
Tsubasa Kina: Japan’s 2018 third-placer this time claimed victory at the Tokyo Marathon, clocking 1:40:00.
Check out the nominees above and then CLICK HERE to cast your votes
Results will be published in the December edition of AW.
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