- Sifan Hassan won two awards during the ceremony that was held in Monaco on Sunday.
- The Dutch runner joins a list of stars including Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon, who have clinched the women world athlete of the year award in the past.
- Hassan has dedicated the trophy to all young girls around the world and thanked all her followers.
Versatile runner Sifan Hassan has shared an emotional message after bagging the 2024 world athlete of the year award.
Sifan was announced the winner of the esteemed honors during a ceremony that was held in Monaco, France on Sunday night.
She beat a star-studded list of nominees that had the likes of Belgium’s Nafi Thiam and Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich who set a novel marathon world record of 2:09:56 at the Chicago Marathon in October.
The other nominees included Saint Lucia’s 100m Olympic champion Julien Alfred, United States’ Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, and Ukrainian high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh.
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Heartwarming message
Reacting a few hours after being crowned the world’s best, an excited Hassan shared a moving statement on her social media platforms.
According to the athlete who won an impressive three medals, including a marathon gold medal in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, she never imagined she would earn such a feat in her life.
“I am so honored, being named World Athlete of the Year among such incredible athletes and on such a year means the world to me.
Since I was young, I watched marathon runners with admiration. They made me wonder if I could run like them or if I could even finish a marathon. I used to wonder if I could even race a 10km.
This year, my curiosity pushed me to take a risk and compete in three distances at the Paris Olympics. It was terrifying and that made each finish line more meaningful.
It wasn’t perfect, but sometimes happiness comes from embracing imperfections. I’m so grateful to see the journey being valued and recognized so highly,” stated Hassan.
Dedication to Young Girls
The Dutch sensation further dedicated the award to young women around the world, hoping that it will inspire them to conquer anything they decide to do in their lives.
“This award isn’t just for me, my team, and my family. It’s for every young girl out there, watching, dreaming and believing that she can achieve greatness through sport,” she wrote.
Sifan ended by thanking all of her followers and urging them to keep pushing and believing because no dream is too big.
Besides taking home the world athlete of the year trophy, the talented runner also bagged the female out of stadium athlete of the year award.
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The ceremony was also a special one for Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo, who secured the wrld athlete of the year award in the men’s category.
Tebogo was picked at the expense of the likes of Norwegian speedster Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis, who also had extraordinary seasons.
List of world Athletes of the Year for 2024
Men’s world athlete of the year: Letsile Tebogo (Botswana).
Women’s world athlete of the year: Sifan Hassan (Netherlands).
Women’s track world athlete of the year: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (United States).
Men’s track world athlete of the year: Letsile Tebogo (Botswana).
Women’s field world athlete of the year: Yaroslava Mahuchikh (Ukraine).
Men’s field world athlete of the year: Mondo Duplantis (Sweden).
Women’s out of stadium athlete of the year: Sifan Hassan (Netherlands).
Men’s out of stadium athlete of the year: Tamirat Tola (Ethiopia).
Women’s rising star: Sembo Almayew (Ethiopia). Men’s rising star: Mattia Furlani (Italy).
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