The pair both made history at the Olympics and were given the accolades at the annual global awards in Monaco
Letsile Tebogo and Siffan Hassan have been crowned World Athletes of the Year.
The pair received their accolades at the annual global awards in Monaco (December 1) after scintillating seasons.
Tebogo became Botswana’s first ever Olympic champion with 200m gold in the French capital, clocking an African record of 19.46 – a time that placed him fifth on the all-time list over half a lap.
The 21-year-old then followed that up by helping Botswana’s men’s 4x400m team secure an Olympic silver medal, finishing behind the US.
Letsile Tebogo (Getty)
Over the course of the season, Tebogo dipped under 20 seconds in the 200m on nine occasions, showing remarkable consistency throughout his campaign.
“It feels amazing to know that the fans are always there for us athletes, he said. “It was a great year and this means a lot.
“It’s not just about the team that is around you, there are a lot of fans out there that really want us to win something great for the continent. It was a real surprise to hear my name because I didn’t expect this.”
Sifan Hassan and Tigist Assefa (Getty)
Hassan meanwhile became the first female athlete in history to win medals in the 5000m, 10,000m and marathon at the same Olympics.
After bronzes in both the 5000m and 10,000m, the 31-year-old won a stunning gold medal over 26.2 miles, defeating then world-record holder Tigst Assefa around the Parisian course.
Only the legendary Emil Zátopek, who claimed golds in all three of those distances at the Helsinki 1952 Games, has achieved that feat.
“Thank you to the fans, to everybody who voted,” said Hassan. “I never thought I was going to win this one. This year was crazy. It’s not only me – all the athletes have been amazing. I’m really grateful. What more can I say?”
Sifan Hassan (Getty)
Both Hassan and Tebogo also won awards in their respective disciplines, with the former being named men’s track athlete of the year and Hassan the women’s out of stadium athlete of the year.
Sembo Almayew and Mattia Furlani secured the rising star awards, given to those junior athletes who broke boundaries in the season.
“At the end of what has been a stellar year for athletics, we are delighted to reveal our list of World Athletes of the Year – both in their respective disciplines and overall,” said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe. “This group of athletes represents the very best of…
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