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The Netherlands’ Sifan Hassan and Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo were named World Athletes of the Year on Sunday after they both scooped multiple medals at the Paris Olympics.
Hassan won the women’s marathon in an Olympic record time of 2.22:55. She also claimed bronze medals in the 10,000m and 5,000m events.
“Thank you to the fans, to everybody who voted,” Hassan, also awarded women’s out of stadium athlete of the year, said in Monaco. “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?”
Tebogo also made history in the French capital as he became the first African to win the Olympic men’s 200m title and earned Botswana its first-ever Olympic gold medal. He also set a national record of 9.86 when finishing sixth in the 100m final before being part of Botswana’s silver-medal-winning men’s 4x400m team.
“It feels amazing to know that the fans are always there for us athletes. It was a great year,” Tebogo, also named men’s track athlete of the year, said. “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.”