Vote for your athletes of 2024

Pick your top performers of the year in multiple categories in our annual AW readers’ poll

Near the end of the year it’s time for you to pick your athletes of 2024. The choices are below with the voting form at the end of this article. All of the contenders with photographs are in the November issue of AW magazine, too, which you can buy here. Deadline for votes is midnight Friday November 8 with the results published in the December issue of AW magazine.

International male athlete

Mondo Duplantis
Still only 24, he is just getting better and better. Duplantis broke his men’s pole vault world record three times in 2024 (taking his overall tally to 10), as well as retaining his world indoor, European and Olympic titles. His final leap in Paris will live long in the memory and he finished off his season by winning another Diamond League title, too.

Cole Hocker
The American had been an outside bet going into the Olympic 1500m final, though by that time he had won world indoor silver, his national title and had run a sub-13min 5000m. As the world watched Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigtsen duking it out at Paris, Hocker delivered the knockout blow with an Olympic record of 3:27.65.

Grant Holloway
The American won the world indoor title and in eight races indoors ran the seven fastest times of the year, breaking his own world record with 7.27. Outdoors he went under 13 seconds six times and landed what had previously been an elusive Olympic title.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen
He took 1500m and 5000m European gold (for the third time) in Rome, then ran 3:26.73 to become the first athlete since Asbel Kiprop to break 3:27 for 1500m. He bounced back from Olympic metric mile disappointment to win 5000m gold in Paris then broke the long-standing 3000m world record with 7:17.55.

Noah Lyles
He took world indoor silver in the 60m before winning the 100m and 200m US titles. Lyles edged an enthralling men’s Olympic 100m final before Covid and the prowess of Letsile Tebogo meant he had to settle for 200m bronze and sit out the 4x100m.

Letsile Tebogo
He broke the 300m world record with a run of 30.69, then rose to the occasion at the Olympics, where he took 200m gold and clocked the second-fastest 4x400m split in history of 43.03 as his country took silver. There was also a 100m PB of 9.86 in the Olympic final, where he was sixth.

Miltiadis Tentoglou
The Greek became the only man other than Carl Lewis to successfully defend the men’s Olympic long jump title. He also won a second consecutive world indoor title, plus his third European gold in a row, with a winning leap of 8.65m representing the furthest anyone has jumped in almost five years.

Ethan Katzberg
The Canadian lost just one of the 12 hammer competitions he took part in this year, but by that September defeat he had firmly established himself at the top of the three in his event. He produced the five longest throws of 2024, with his best (84.38m) moving him to ninth on the all-time lists. A throw of 84.12m secured his first Olympic title but surely there are more to come.

Hamish Kerr
The New Zealander equalled the Oceania high jump record of 2.36m in winning the world indoor title in Glasgow, then produced the same height during a memorable Olympic final that he won following a jump-off with American Shelby McEwen.

Emmanuel Wanyonyi
With the 800m undergoing some rapid changes during 2024, the Kenyan has been to the fore. He broke 1:42 four times during the season, including the 1:41.11 in Lausanne that only just fell short of David Rudisha’s world record. Wanyonyi also won a brilliantly competitive and searingly quick Olympic final.

International female athlete

Julien Alfred
If the Saint Lucian felt any trepidation about her first season as a professional then it didn’t show. World indoor 60m gold arrived in Glasgow and she then peaked perfectly for the Olympics, flying to 100m gold in the pouring Parisian rain and then taking 200m silver.

Femke Bol
The Dutchwoman took world indoor 400m and 4x400m gold, also breaking the world indoor 400m record twice to lower it to 49.17. There were European 400m hurdles and 4x400m titles in Rome, while she lowered her European record to 50.95 in the former. She could only take hurdles bronze at the Olympics, but led her team to gold in the mixed 4x400m relay and silver in the women’s 4x400m relay in Paris.

Beatrice Chebet
A successful and brilliant defence of her world cross country title was followed by a landmark 10,000m performance in which she became the first woman to run under 29 minutes with 28:54.14. Olympic gold in the 25-lap event and the 5000m followed.

Ruth Chepngetich
Another Kenyan to produce a landmark performance, the 2019 world marathon champion destroyed Tigist Assefa’s world record for 26.2 miles in Chicago, becoming the first woman to run under 2:10 with an astonishing 2:09:56 that saw her win the race by seven minutes and 36 seconds.

Sifan Hassan
The Dutchwoman attempted an Olympic 5000m, 10,000m and marathon treble – and won medals in each. Managing to compete in all three would have been a feat in itself but Hassan came away with bronze from both of her track assignments, then won a sprint finish with Tigist Assefa to take marathon gold.

Faith Kipyegon
There had been pre-season concerns that the reigning world and Olympic champion might not be at full strength due to injury. She put that theory to bed as she lowered her own 1500m world record to 3:49.04, then stormed to her third consecutive Olympic title over the distance. Her only defeat came in the 5000m final, where she finished second.

Yaroslava Mahuchikh
The Ukrainian had to settle for high jump silver at the world indoors, then proceeded to swat away the competition outdoors. European gold was secured in Rome, as was a first Olympic title in Paris. She broke the world record of 2.09m that had stood since 1987 with a leap of 2.10m at the Paris Diamond League.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone
During 2024 she broke her 400m hurdles world record twice and was fourth-fastest woman in the world over the flat 400m with 48.75. She was a class apart in winning Olympic 400m hurdles gold for a second time, clocking 50.37, then helped USA to 4x400m relay gold, too.

Nafi Thiam
Ruled out of action by serious injury in 2023, the Belgian demonstrated her extraordinary combined events talents by first taking the European heptathlon title and then seeing off stern competition from world champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson to win her third consecutive Olympic gold.

Gabby Thomas
The American left Paris with three Olympic gold medals, producing an impressively assured performance to win the 200m ahead of Julien Alfred and the helping her country to 4x100m and 4x400m success. She also ran five of the six fastest times for the 200m this year and 50.37 for 400m.

British male athlete

Emile Cairess
The 26-year-old raced sparingly in 2024, but he made it count every time. His first outing of the year brought a half marathon PB of 60:01 in Napoli in February, but it was at the London Marathon in April where he made headlines, clocking a PB of 2:06:46 to become the second-fastest Briton in history in finishing third. Cairess followed that up with a brilliant fourth place at the Paris Olympics in 2:07:29.

Charlie Dobson
This has been a big breakthrough year for the 24-year-old talent, of whom much is expected. Individually, he lowered his 400m PB to 44.23, won European silver and the British title, then rounded off his season with victory in the Diamond League final. Also part of the relay squad that took Olympic 4x400m bronze in Paris.

Jacob Fincham-Dukes
After finishing fourth at the European Championships, the 27-year-old retained his national long jump title before becoming Britain’s only field event finalist at the Paris Olympics, coming fifth.

Louie Hinchliffe
The surprise package of British sprinting this year, the 22-year-old Yorkshireman was coached to the NCAA 100m title in June by the legendary Carl Lewis, clocking 9.95 before taking the British title to book his Olympic slot. He didn’t reach the final in Paris, but landed 4x100m relay bronze and has now turned professional.

Matthew Hudson-Smith
As the world and Commonwealth silver medallist told AW last month, he feels he has “unlocked a new ability” in the 400m this year. Broke his own European record three times, culminating in a run of 43.44 to win Olympic silver and was a key figure in the British men’s line-up that won 4x400m bronze in Paris.

Romell Glave
The 24-year-old sprinter landed his first major championships medal with European bronze in the 100m at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome in June. Later in the season he then ran a wind-assisted 9.90 at Stratford.

Josh Kerr
The Scot might have missed out on his top target of Olympic gold, but 2024 was hardly a failure. He won the world indoor 3000m title in Glasgow in March, then broke the British 1500m record with 3:27.79 to land silver in Paris. Kerr also broke Steve Cram’s British mile record in Eugene and rounded off his year with a course record of 3:44.3 at the Fifth Avenue Mile in New York.

George Mills
Lowered his indoor 1500m and 5000m PBs at the start of the year and reached his first Olympics, setting himself the challenge of the 1500m and 5000m double. The workload proved to be a heavy one but the undoubted highlight of the year for Mills was winning European 5000m silver in Rome, his first major senior championships medal.

Ben Pattison
While the major championships didn’t quite go to plan for last year’s world 800m bronze medallist, he still produced a searing run of 1:42.27 at the Monaco Diamond League that moved him second on the British all-time rankings, behind only Seb Coe.

Sam Reardon
A hamstring injury meant he was unable to claim an Olympic spot at the British Championships but the 22-year-old lowered his 400m PB to 44.70 at the London Diamond League and was then a late call-up for Paris, where he won bronze medals in the mixed and men’s 4x400m.

British female athlete

Scout Adkin
The Scottish hill runner took silver in the uphill only race at the European Off-Road Running Championships in Annecy, taking the British team to silver, before being crowned women’s winner of the World Mountain Running Association (WMRA) World Cup last month.

Amber Anning
A brilliant year saw the 23-year-old win the NCAA indoor 400m title in March, while the outdoor season brought with it a British title, plus a superb national record of 49.29 on the way to fifth place in the Olympic final. There was also the small matter of bronze medals in the mixed and women’s 4x400m relay finals. She was also 4x400m NCAA champion.

Dina Asher-Smith
The former 200m world champion created history by becoming a six-time European gold medallist thanks to wins in the 100m and 4x100m relay. Individually the Olympics didn’t go to plan but the 28-year-old helped the women’s line-up to win 4x100m silver in Paris, then finished the season strongly and won the Lausanne Diamond League.

Elizabeth Bird
The Boulder-based 3000m steeplechaser won European bronze in the event in Rome and effectively sealed her Olympic place at the same time. She then lowered her British record at the Stade de France, clocking 9:04.35 when finishing seventh.

Georgia Bell
Remarkably, the 31-year-old began the year as a part-time athlete but finished it as a full-time one with an Olympic 1500m bronze, European 1500m silver and British record of 3:52.61 to her name.

Molly Caudery
A brilliant start to the year brought world indoor pole vault gold in Glasgow, while the fact there was disappointment at a bronze medal in the European Championships illustrated how quickly the 24-year-old has progressed. She broke the British record in June with 4.92m – still the world lead – but then failed to make the Olympic final.

Keely Hodgkinson
This was the year in which she turned silver to gold with a command performance in Paris, emulating Dame Kelly Holmes by becoming Olympic 800m champion. The 22-year-old also defied illness to win her second consecutive European title outdoors, while her run of 1:54.61 in London lowered the British record and is the fastest time in the world this year.

Katarina Johnson-Thompson
An injury problem that forced her to withdraw from the European Championships had caused concern, but the world heptathlon champion finally got the Olympic medal she had craved, pushing Nafi Thiam all the way.

Daryll Neita
Came agonisingly close to the European 200m title, having to settle for silver, before landing 4x100m relay gold in Rome. The 29-year-old then took the 100m national title and finished fourth in the Olympic 100m and fifth in the Olympic 200m, before being a key part of the silver medal-winning 4x100m line-up in Paris.

Calli Hauger-Thackery
The 31-year-old won individual bronze and led the British team to gold in the half marathon at the European Championships. Having failed to finish the Olympic marathon, she bounced back to become the second-fastest female British runner ever over the distance in Berlin.

International male junior

Jaydon Hibbert
Jamaica’s promising triple jumper came close to an Olympic medal in Paris, finishing fourth with a best leap of 17.61m. The 19-year-old stole the show at the Racers Grand Prix earlier in the year by setting a stadium record and world lead of 17.75m.

Tomas Jarvinen
In his first World Under-20 Championships, the 18-year-old Czech led the decathlon from start to finish and scored 8525, just 10 points shy of the world under-20 record. His score moved him to second on the world U20 all-time list.

Niels Laros
The 19-year-old began his summer campaign by setting a 1000m world under-20 record of 2:14.37 on home soil. At the Olympic Games he finished sixth in the 1500m final in 3:29.54 – breaking Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s European under-20 record of 3:30.16.

Bradley Nkoana
The 19-year-old joined team-mate Bayana Walaza to become an Olympic medallist as he helped secure 4x100m silver for South Africa in Paris. The bronze medallist from Lima clocked a personal best of 10.03 in the 100m this July – a national under-20 record.

Bayanda Walaza
South Africa’s new sprinting star clocked 10.13 at the national junior championships. The 18-year-old ran the lead-off leg in the Olympic 4x100m final in Paris, winning silver before making the trip to the World Under-20 Championships, where he won gold in both the 100m and 200m.

Quincy Wilson
The 16-year-old became America’s youngest-ever track Olympian when he ran in the first round of the men’s 4x400m relay in Paris, where his team went on to win gold. He had broken the under-18 world record twice at the US trials, including an effort of 44.59 before going on to cut his personal best even further with 44.20.

International female junior

Sembo Almayew
After finishing fifth in the 3000m Olympic steeplechase final she became the first Ethiopian world under-20 steeplechase gold medallist, setting a championships record of 9:12.71 in Lima.

Torrie Lewis
The 19-year-old Australian won the Xiamen Diamond League 200m, clocking 22.96. She also won the Oceania title in June and reached the semi-finals in Paris 2024 before competing in the 4x100m heats. She set a 200m PB of 22.88 in winning world under-20 silver in Lima.

Lurdes Gloria Manuel
The Czech made her senior international debut at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, forming part of the 4x400m team. She finished fourth at the European Championships in Rome, running a national under-20 record of 50.52 before reaching the semi-finals in Paris.

Sarah Moraa
The Kenyan has followed in the footsteps of her cousin, world 800m champion Mary, this year. The 19-year-old won the African Championships before being crowned the world under-20 champion after dominating the 800m, clocking 2:00.36 to secure gold.

Alana Reid
Training alongside Sha’Carri Richardson, the 19-year-old has definitely picked up some sprinting tips. The Jamaican comfortably led the 100m at the World U20 Championships to win her first global title in 11.17, weeks after running the lead leg in the women’s 4x100m Olympic final where her team finished fifth.

Angelina Topic
After making her first Olympics and being expected to challenge for a medal, the 19-year-old European silver medallist missed out on the high jump final through injury. Just one month later she took World Under-20 Championships gold with a 1.91m clearance.

British male junior

Ed Bird
Now based in the United States, the Poole AC athlete won bronze at the World U20 Championships in Lima in 8:21.00, less than half a second behind the winner, Andreas Halvorsen of Norway. Elsewhere he broke 8:00 for 3000m with 7:59.99 indoors.

Daniel Goriola
Won the UK senior 110m hurdles title in Manchester aged 19 and his season’s best of 13.22 (0.6) in the junior event places him No.2 on the British all-time rankings behind David Omoregie although he DNF’d in his World U20 semi-final. Indoors, his 7.72m over 60m hurdles puts him No.2 on the UK all-time rankings behind Jon Ridgeon.

Sam Lunt
Broke Alastair Chalmers’ UK under-20 record for 400m hurdles with 50.00 to qualify for the world U20 final in Lima, where he finished fifth aged 18. Also won the England Athletics title and clocked 46.94 for the flat 400m.

Matthew McKenna
The Walton athlete improved his 800m best this year from 1:56.4 to 1:46.84, a time that only two British 17-year-olds, Ben Pattison and Max Burgin, have beaten. He also used his speed to win a tactical European under-18 final in 1:52.91.

Jake Odey-Jordan
Recovered from the mistake of easing down too early in his European U18 200m heat and went on to win two medals at the World Under-20 Championships. Just 16, the US-based sprinter won 200m bronze and 4x100m silver and ended the season with a best of 20.55 (0.1).

Teddy Wilson
The only European to make the world under-20 men’s 100m final, the Shaftesbury Barnet sprinter placed seventh before being part of the silver medal-winning 4x100m team. His 10.29 (0.5) in Lima tops the UK junior rankings and he is also No.1 at 60m with 6.70.

British female junior

Lyla Belshaw
The Colchester Harrier won the European under-18 1500m title in a championship record of 4:13.01 ahead of GB team-mate Isla McGowan. Only 16, she ran even quicker with 4:12.19 at Watford for No.2 on the UK all-time under-17 rankings behind Phoebe Gill and impressed with 2:02.93 for 800m.

Thea Brown
With a heptathlon score of 5807 – a PB by more than 400 points – the Sale Harrier won silver at the European Under-18 Championships. In the 100m hurdles she finished fourth in the Olympic trials and her 1.87m high jump puts the 17-year-old No.3 on this year’s UK senior rankings.

Innes FitzGerald
After winning the European under-20 cross-country title plus Inter-Counties, English Schools and English National titles, she finished 17th at the World Cross in Belgrade before going on to fourth in the World Under-20 3000m in a PB of 8:57.01. The 18-year-old also broke Paula Radcliffe’s English Schools 3000m record from 1992.

Phoebe Gill
After breaking the long-standing European under-18 800m record with 1:57.86 in Belfast, she won the UK senior title in Manchester aged 17 and went on to finish fourth in her Olympic semi-final in Paris. The St Albans runner tops the UK under-20 1500m rankings in 2024 with 4:05.87.

Katie Pye
After beating Lyla Belshaw in the Mini London Marathon, the Aldershot athlete clocked 9:09.67 to go No.3 on the UK all-time 3000m rankings and she won the European under-18 title at 3000m in Slovakia before a UK School Games 1500m win on the eve of her 17th birthday.

Nia Wedderburn-Goodison
The 19-year-old Harrow sprinter was fourth in the world under-20 100m final. Her 11.21 PB put her No.5 on the UK all-time under-20 rankings and she ran a wind-assisted 11.19, too.

Para male athlete

Ezra Frech
The American starred in both track and field at the Paralympics. In a pulsating T63 100m, he clocked 12.06 and won by two hundredths of a second over Denmark’s Daniel Wagner. Frech then set a Paralympic record of 1.94m in the T63 high jump.

Marcel Hug
The Swiss won his seventh Paralympic gold medal in Paris, with victory in the T54 marathon. He also claimed silver in the 1500m/5000m and bronze over 800m, taking his overall tally to 15 medals. Hug also continued his dominance in the Marathon Majors, securing wins in Boston, London, Berlin and Chicago.

Mpumelelo Mhlongo
The South African was already a double world T44 100m champion but had yet to claim gold at the Paralympics. That all changed in Paris when he clocked 11.12, beating Cuba’s Yamel Luis Vives by eight hundredths of a second. He also won T64 200m bronze.

Dan Pembroke
Just a few months on from retaining his world F13 javelin title, Pembroke replicated the feat at the Paralympics. The Briton set two world records in as many throws in Paris, beating the previous mark of 71.01m with 71.15m and 74.49m in rounds three and four. He won by almost five metres.

Markus Rehm
The prolific German long jumper won a fourth consecutive Paralympic gold medal in Paris. He dominated the competition and had a best distance of 8.13m, the only athlete in the field to clear 8.00m.

Ben Sandilands
The Briton backed up his T20 1500m world title last year with Paralympic gold in Paris, running a world record of 3:45.40 to win by over four seconds and stand on the top of the podium.

Para female athlete

Hannah Cockroft
In her fourth Paralympics, she picked up her eighth and ninth golds, with victories in both the T34 100m and 800m. Cockroft and fellow Brit Karé Adenegan finished one-two in both of the events.

Catherine Debrunner
The Swiss athlete had an historic Paralympics, winning gold in the T53 400m and 800m, as well as the T54 1500m, 5000m and marathon. She also claimed silver in the T53 100m, not to mention enjoying success at the London, Berlin and Chicago marathons.

Omara Durand
The Cuban sprinter completed the ‘triple triple’ in Paris, with golds in the T12 100m, 200m and 400m for the third consecutive time. With two titles from London 2012 also won, Durand has stood on the top of a Paralympic podium 11 times.

Sabrina Fortune
The Brit added a Paralympic F20 shot put title to her three world golds with a world record of 15.12m, beating her previous best by 29cm with her opening throw in the French capital.

Fleur Jong
The Dutch superstar dominated this season and picked up world and Paralympic golds in the T64 100m and long jump. Jong leapt to a Paralympic T64 long jump record of 6.53m and won by over half a metre.

Sammi Kinghorn
The Briton secured her first ever Paralympic gold medal – in the T53 100m – a victory that topped a busy schedule that also saw her claim silver in the T53 400m and 800m, T54 1500m and mixed 4x100m relay.

Masters male athlete

M70 Ian Broadhurst
Won World Masters M70 double gold at both 400m (64.13) and 300m hurdles (47.99). His hurdles time was a UK record and a 64.09 400m heat bettered the UK mark on the flat. He also won medals in both relays.

M45 Dwain Chambers
The former world indoor 60m champion made a surprise appearance in the European Masters, winning 60m gold after setting a world M45 record of 6.81 and also making the UK senior semi-finals.

M60 Andrew Ridley
Won World Masters gold against top Kenyan opposition at both 800m and 1500m. His marks at 800m (2:07.45) and mile (4:41.81) bettered the M60 world records and his winning 1500m time in Gothenburg just missed the world mark but was a European best. Also won 4x400m relay silver.

M55 Darren Scott
Won 200m gold at both European Masters and World Masters Championships, picking up additional medals in the short sprint there at 60m and 100m respectively. Set UK bests at 200m both indoors (23.95) and out (23.04), with the latter bettering the world record.

M55 Mark Symes
Won an M55 800m and 1500m double at the World Masters, as well as European Indoor 1500m silver. His 4:17.45 in Gothenburg was a UK outdoor record and he also bettered the UK track mile (4:36.10) and road mile records (4:45).

M65 John Wright
Won an individual sprint triple at the World Masters and set a European record 56.22 at the 400m, while his 12.43 100m time equalled Steve Peters’ UK best. Also anchored Britain to 4x400m gold.

Masters female athlete

W60 Clare Elms
Won five European indoor gold medals and set W60 world records at 1500m (4:57.14) and mile (5:25.19). She also set world indoor records at these events and altogether 14 UK records or bests including additional marks at 800m (2:29.64), 3000m (10:33.34), 5000m (18:35.95) and the road mile (5:21) with the latter also being a world best.

W55 Irie Hill
Britain’s most successful ever masters vaulter carried on her dominance with W55 golds in both the European Masters and World Masters. She set a world indoor record of 3.30m and a UK outdoor record of 3.22m.

W85 Kathleen Stewart
Turned 85 just before the World Championships where she dominated the 200m in 41.83 and the 400m in a world record 99.24. She won the W80 sprint treble in the British Championships.

W75 Moira West
Hit W75 at the start of the outdoor track season and won the sprint double at the World Championships, also setting UK records at the British Championships of 15.84 at 100m and 33.30 at 200m. Also set a UK record in the long jump of 3.33m.

W85 Evaun Williams
Britain’s most successful age group thrower won W85 World Masters gold at shot, discus, hammer, javelin, weight and weight pentathlon. She set world records in Gothenburg in the shot (9.42m), discus (22.42m), weight (11.97m) and javelin (24.78m).

W50 Paula Williams
Won European Masters and World Masters shot golds, as well as setting a British record of 13.96m in Gothenburg. She also won hurdles and 4x100m bronze outdoors and a 60m and javelin bronze in the indoor championships. Indoors she also set UK records in the 60m hurdles (9.59) and shot (13.56m).

Mel Watman Performance of 2024

Duplantis does it again – world pole vault record at the Paris Olympics.

Mahuchikh magnificent – breaking the long-standing world high jump record with 2.10m in the Diamond League in Paris.

Alekna outstanding – beating the long-time world discus record with 74.35m in Ramona.

Shock from Hocker – American’s sizzling sprint claims Olympic 1500m gold.

Queen Kipyegon – 3:49.04 world 1500m record at Paris Diamond League.

Chepngetich’s Chicago fireworks – world marathon record of 2:09:56.

McLaughlin-Levrone out on her own – dominating Olympic 400m hurdles win in a 50.37 world record.

Chebet on top of the world – 28:54.14 world 10,000m record in Eugene to create history.

Hassan’s final flourish – marathon gold in Paris after winning Olympic bronze a few days earlier in the 5000m and 10,000m.

All of the above contenders with photographs are in the November issue of AW magazine, too, which you can buy here. Deadline for votes is midnight Friday November 8 with the results published in the December issue of AW magazine.

Cast your votes here…

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