Colonel William A. Phillips

German sprinter Marita Koch won the award a record four times

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.

Winners

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 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

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