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Olympic champions Letsile Tebogo and Sifan Hassan were honored as the Male and Female Athletes of the Year at the prestigious World Athletics Awards held in Monaco on Sunday, marking the culmination of a season defined by historic performances.
Tebogo made history at the 2024 Paris Olympics, becoming the first athlete from Botswana to win an Olympic gold medal.
His victory in the men’s 200m, in a blistering African record time of 19.46 seconds, captivated the world and set the stage for a season of remarkable achievements.
In addition to his 200m gold, the 21-year-old sprinter earned a silver medal in the men’s 4x400m relay, helping Botswana to a new African record with a time of 2:54.53.
His final leg in the relay, a split of 43.04 seconds, was one of the fastest ever recorded.
Tebogo’s path to Olympic glory was not without its challenges. Earlier in the year, he finished sixth in the 100m final at the Paris Games with a national record of 9.86 seconds.
Following the disappointment, Tebogo’s relentless determination paid off, as he dominated the 200m and anchored the relay team to silver.
Reflecting on his journey, Tebogo dedicated his triumphs to his late mother, Seratiwa, who passed away earlier in the year.
“When my mother passed away, I thought it was the end of my career. But I remember one day I was asked: ‘Just come and watch us train.’ I started getting more interested again and getting back into the sport,” he shared.
“It was not an easy journey. I had to be there for my little sister and for myself.”
Onstage at the Theatre Princesse Grace, Tebogo shared how proud he was of his accomplishments but also a sense of anticipation for the future.
“I believe next year is going to be a different Letsile; he’s going to be a changed and a mature one,” he said.
Tebogo’s rise to global prominence was not only about his Olympic success but also about his consistency on the track throughout the season.
He ran an impressive nine sub-20-second 200m races in 2024. His performance in the 4x400m relay, where he recorded splits of 43.72 seconds at the World Athletics Relays and 43.04 seconds in Paris, further cemented his status as one of the most dynamic athletes of the year.
Looking to the future, Tebogo remains committed to expanding his range. Although he has made a name for himself in the 100m and 200m, he is open to competing in the 400m.
“I don’t want to limit myself to a particular event,” Tebogo said. “I just want to leave it open so I know when I’m training that they can use me in the 400m, not just as the sprint guy.”
With a national holiday declared in his honor after his historic Olympic 200m win, Tebogo’s year was not just about personal achievement but also about inspiring his nation and the African continent.
“When I went into that race, the first thing I thought was changing the perspective of Africa from being a long-distance continent into being a short-distance continent. That made me more hungry to succeed.”
Letsile Tebogo when asked about his aspirations for the future, he responded with characteristic humility and ambition: “I would just like to be in the history books as the youngest guy to ever do it, at 21 or 22 or whenever.”
Sifan Hassan Awarded Female Athlete of the Year
Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands, also delivered one of the most exceptional Olympic performances in recent memory.
At the Paris Games, she won bronze in both the 5,000m and 10,000m, before completing a historic marathon victory that earned her gold and made her the first athlete in 72 years to win medals in all three events at the same Olympics.
Her remarkable versatility and endurance earned her the Female Athlete of the Year Award, alongside her earlier recognition as Female Out of Stadium Athlete of the Year.
“I never thought I was going to win this one,” Hassan said, overwhelmed by the honor. “This year was crazy.”
The American Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who broke her own world record to claim gold in the 400m hurdles at the Paris Olympics, was named Female Track Athlete of the Year, while Swedish pole vaulting legend Mondo Duplantis was named Male Field Athlete of the Year after setting a new world record with a vault of 6.23m in Paris.
Ukrainian high-jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh, who claimed gold at the Paris Games, was awarded the Female Field Athlete of the Year.
