Duplantis and Rojas win World Athletes of the Year awards

World record-breakers Mondo Duplantis of Sweden and Yulimar Rojas of Venezuela were named the world track and field male and female World Athletes of the Year during the World Athletics Awards 2020, a ceremony held virtually on Saturday, December 5, 2020.

Duplantis, 21-year-old American/Swedish recorded the highest pole vault twice, topping 6.17m and 6.18m on back-to-back weekends in February just a few weeks before the global coronavirus pandemic ground the sporting world to a halt. When competition finally resumed, Duplantis capped his season and produced the highest outdoor vault of all time (6.15m) and finished the year undefeated in 16 competitions.

Duplantis became the youngest man and first Swedish man or women to ever named World Athlete of the Year.

Rojas, the 25-year-old world champion broke the South American indoor triple jump record in her first competition of the year, reaching 15.03m in Metz, France. In her next competition, at the World Athletics Indoor Tour meeting in Madrid, she broke a 16-year-old world indoor record in the triple jump with a 15.43m leap in February. She became the second South American female triple jumper to win Athlete of the Year in the last three years, joining Colombian Olympic champion Caterine Ibargüen.

She competed just twice outdoors, winning the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Monaco and again in Castellon, Spain, where she sailed 14.71m, the farthest leap in the world outdoors this year.

The other award winners were:

Member Federations Award

Polski Związek Lekkiej Atletyki (Polish Athletics Association)

The federation was recognised for having successfully delivered much of the country’s competitive calendar in spite of the pandemic, including the staging of three World Athletics Continental Tour competitions, two in Chorzow and one in Bydgoszcz. Together with the local organising committee and local authorities, the federation was instrumental in helping to deliver a safe and successful World Athletics Half Marathon Championships Gdynia 2020 in which Krystian Zalewski set a national record.

Covid Inspiration Award

Ultimate Garden Clash, an original idea by Renaud Lavillenie

A series of three innovative competitions, devised by Lavillenie and his fellow pole vaulters who presented their idea to World Athletics. The events were held over a five-week period in which athletes faced off via a live video link while competing in their respective training bases.

Organised jointly by the athletes and World Athletics, and broadcast live on its social media platforms, the Ultimate Garden Clash featured separate men’s and women’s pole vault competitions and a triathlon event with three of the world’s best decathletes. The men’s pole vault edition on 3 May between world champion Sam Kendricks, world record-holder Mondo Duplantis, and former world record-holder Lavillenie was the world’s first high-level ‘live’ athletics competition since global lockdowns went into effect in March and attracted more than one million viewers from more than 90 countries in the first 24 hours.

President’s Award

Tommie Smith, Peter Norman and John Carlos

“We created the President’s Award in 2016 to recognise and honour exceptional service to athletics,” said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe. “The bravery, dignity and morality of these three men continue to inspire athletes from all sports 50 years on.

“The image of Smith and Carlos raising fists have become seared in history as an incendiary act of protest by athletes. But sadly, their cause and what they so bravely stood for has not been consigned to the history books. As demonstrations around the world, this year have shown, there is much more that needs to be done. I hope that the uncompromising attitude of these three athletes can continue to be an inspiration to all of us who refuse to accept racism.”

Coaching Achievement Award

Helena and Greg Duplantis

The parents and coaching team behind the success of Male World Athlete of the Year Mondo Duplantis, who began breaking age group records at age seven. While the pair take on many roles, Helena, a former heptathlete, mainly helps with her son’s conditioning while Greg, a 5.80m pole vaulter in his prime, assists with technique.

Athletes Community Award

Athletics Clubs

Led by the World Athletics Athletes’ Commission, this award was created as a way for athletes to show their thanks for the efforts of those who have gone above and beyond during this difficult year.

World Athletics Photograph of the Year

Michael Steele’s photograph of young children competing at the Discovery Cross Country Championships in Eldoret, Kenya

“I was in Kenya in January for another assignment, and I spotted this cross-country event taking place,” said Steele, a veteran sports photographer for Getty Images. “I was just blown away by all the enthusiasm of the kids and everyone involved in the day’s event. It was good to shoot something more grassroots than normal big stadium events; it just shows you can make good pictures anywhere.”