Hicham El Guerrouj and Paula Radcliffe - 2002 World Athletes of the Year (© Getty Images)
Matching the Athlete of the Year announcement at last month's IAF World Athletics Gala in Monte Carlo, USA’s ‘Track & Field News’ (T&FN) magazine has named Paula Radcliffe of Great Britain and Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco, as its 2002 Athletes of the Year, in its December edition.
T&FN's international panel of experts made women’s marathon world best setter Radcliffe, 28, an almost unanimous choice for number one, according her the top spot on 32 of the 35 ballots. The other votes for the number one slot went to Marion Jones (2) and Ana Guevara (1).
By contrast, Moroccan middle distance star El Guerrouj, in becoming just the second athlete ever to be named men's Athlete of the Year three times (Carl Lewis did it in 1982-84), faced a very tough battle.
Indeed, Khalid Khannouchi the runner up in the poll actually got more first place votes, 17-16. However, the American marathoner who like Radcliffe set a world best at the distance this year had less support across the board, so El Guerrouj, 28, was able to defend his status as number one. 400m Hurdler Felix Sánchez (4) and sprinter Tim Montgomery (1) also got first place votes.
Men's Voting Leaders:
1. Hicham El Guerrouj (Morocco--1500m) 344
2. Khalid Khannouchi (US--marathon) 319
3. Felix Sánchez (Dominican Republic--400 hurdles) 303
4. Róbert Fazekas (Hungary--discus) 245
5. Adam Nelson (US--shot put) 188
6. Tim Montgomery (US--100m) 157
7. Sergey Makarov (Russia--javelin) 145
8. Roman Sebrle (Czech Republic--decathlon) 120
9. Wilson Kipketer (Denmark--800m) 90
10. Francisco Fernández (Spain--20K walk) 63
Women's Voting Leaders:
1. Paula Radcliffe (Great Britain--distances) 344
2. Marion Jones (US--sprints) 305
3. Ana Guevara (Mexico--400m) 265
4. Svetlana Feofanova (Russia--pole vault) 189
5. Tatyana Kotova (Russia--long jump) 172
6. Gail Devers (US--100 hurdles) 161
7. Kajsa Bergqvist (Sweden--high jump) 149
8. Süreyya Ayhan (Turkey--1500m) 144
9. Maria Mutola (Mozambique--800m) 65
10. Yuliya Pechonkina (Russia--400 hurdles) 40
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Previous Men's Athletes Of The Year
1959 Martin Lauer (West Germany) 110H/decathlon
1960 Rafer Johnson (US) decathlon
1961 Ralph Boston (US) long jump/110H
1962 Peter Snell (New Zealand) 800/1500-Mile
1963 C.K. Yang (Taiwan) decathlon/pole vault
1964 Peter Snell (New Zealand) 800/1500-Mile
1965 Ron Clarke (Australia) 5000/10,000
1966 Jim Ryun (US) 800/1500-Mile
1967 Jim Ryun (US) 1500-Mile
1968 Bob Beamon (US) long jump
1969 Bill Toomey (US) decathlon
1970 Randy Matson (US) shot put
1971 Rod Milburn (US) 110H
1972 Lasse Viren (Finland) 5000/10,000
1973 Ben Jipcho (Kenya) 1500/steeple/5000
1974 Rick Wohlhuter (US) 800/1500-Mile
1975 John Walker (New Zealand) 800/1500-Mile
1976 Alberto Juantorena (Cuba) 400/800
1977 Alberto Juantorena (Cuba) 400/800
1978 Henry Rono (Kenya) steeple/5000/10,000
1979 Sebastian Coe (Great Britain) 800/1500-Mile
1980 Edwin Moses (US) 400H
1981 Sebastian Coe (Great Britain) 800/1500-Mile
1982 Carl Lewis (US) 100/200/long jump
1983 Carl Lewis (US) 100/200/long jump
1984 Carl Lewis (US) 100/200/long jump
1985 Saïd Aouita (Morocco) 1500-Mile/5000
1986 Yuriy Syedikh (Soviet Union) hammer
1987 *Ben Johnson (Canada) 100
(*Johnson retroactively banned by IAAF for admitted drug use; No. 2 in the voting was Aouita.)
1988 Sergey Bubka (Soviet Union) pole vault
1989 Roger Kingdom (US) 110H
1990 Michael Johnson (US) 200/400
1991 Sergey Bubka (Soviet Union) pole vault
1992 Kevin Young (US) 400H
1993 Noureddine Morceli (Algeria) 1500-Mile/3000
1994 Noureddine Morceli (Algeria) 1500-M/3000/5000
1995 Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia) 3000/5000/10,000
1996 Michael Johnson (US) 200/400
1997 Wilson Kipketer (Denmark) 800
1998 Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia) 3000/5000/10,000
1999 Hicham El Guerrouj (Morocco) 1500-Mile/3000
2000 Virgilijus Alekna (Lithuania) discus
2001 Hicham El Guerrouj (Morocco) 1500-Mile
2002 Hicham El Guerrouj (Morocco) 1500-Mile
Previous Women's Athletes Of The Year
1974 Irena Szewinska (Poland) 100/200/400
1975 Faina Melnik (Soviet Union) shot/discus
1976 Tatyana Kazankina (Soviet Union) 800/1500
1977 Rosemarie Ackermann (East Germany) high jump
1978 Marita Koch (East Germany) 100/200/400
1979 Marita Koch (East Germany) 100/200/400
1980 Ilona Briesenick (East Germany) shot
1981 Evelyn Ashford (US) 100/200
1982 Marita Koch (East Germany) 100/200/400
1983 Jarmila Kratochvílová (Czechoslovakia) 200/400/800
1984 Evelyn Ashford (US) 100
1985 Marita Koch (East Germany) 100/200/400
1986 Jackie Joyner-Kersee (US) LJ/heptathlon
1987 Jackie Joyner-Kersee (US) 100H/LJ/heptathlon
1988 Florence Griffith Joyner (US) 100/200
1989 Ana Quirot (Cuba) 400/800
1990 Merlene Ottey (Jamaica) 100/200
1991 Heike Henkel (Germany) high jump
1992 Heike Drechsler (Germany) long jump
1993 Junxia Wang (China) 1500/3000/10,000/marathon
1994 Jackie Joyner-Kersee (US) 100H/long jump/hept
1995 Sonia O'Sullivan (Ireland) 1500/3000/5000
1996 Svetlana Masterkova (Russia) 800/1500
1997 Marion Jones (US) 100/200
1998 Marion Jones (US) 100/200/long jump
1999 Gabriela Szabo (Romania) 1500/3000/5000
2000 Marion Jones (US) 100/200/long jump
2001 Stacy Dragila (US) pole vault
2002 Paula Radcliffe (Great Britain) 3K/5K/10K/mar