2016 in athletics | |
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Major world events | 2016 Olympic Games |
← 2015 2017 → |
In 2016, the foremost athletics events will be staged at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The two other major global level competitions in 2016 are the World Indoor Championships and World Half Marathon Championships.
A new addition to the continental tournament schedule came in the form of the 2016 European Athletics Youth Championships. [1] Two long-running competitions were renamed and held under new titles in 2016. The World Junior Championships in Athletics became the 2016 IAAF World U20 Championships and the IAAF World Race Walking Cup was held as the 2016 IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships. [2]
The hosting of the two above events had to be reopened as they were affected by the suspension of the All-Russia Athletic Federation as a result of contraventions of the World Anti-Doping Code. [3] [4] As a major nation in athletics, Russia's ban meant the absence of many world class athletes from competition. Kenya – another prominent country – was subject to a World Anti-Doping Agency plan to improve its own anti-doping infrastructure, on pain of exclusion from international events. [5]
Event | Athlete | Nation | Result | Location | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Men's 500 metres | Abdelalelah Haroun | Qatar | 59.83 | Stockholm, Sweden | 17 February |
Men's 1000 metres | Ayanleh Souleiman | Djibouti | 2:14.20 | Stockholm, Sweden | 17 February |
Women's mile run | Genzebe Dibaba | Ethiopia | 4:13.31 | Stockholm, Sweden | 17 February |
Women's pole vault | Jennifer Suhr | United States | 5.03 m | Brockport, United States | 23 February |
Event | Athlete | Nation | Result | Location | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Men's 400 metres | Wayde van Niekerk | South Africa | 43.03 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 14 August |
Women's 10,000 metres | Almaz Ayana | Ethiopia | 29:17.45 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 12 August |
Women's 100 m hurdles | Kendra Harrison | United States | 12.20 | London, United Kingdom | 22 July |
Women's 3000 m steeplechase | Ruth Jebet | Bahrain | 8:52.78 | Paris, France | 27 August |
Women's hammer throw | Anita Włodarczyk | Poland | 82.98 m | Warsaw, Poland | 28 August |
Award | Winner |
---|---|
IAAF World Athlete of the Year | Usain Bolt (JAM) |
Track & Field News Athlete of the Year | Wayde van Niekerk (RSA) |
European Athlete of the Year | Mo Farah (GBR) |
European Athletics Rising Star | Max Heß (GER) |
The Bowerman | Jarrion Lawson (USA) |
Award | Winner |
---|---|
IAAF World Athlete of the Year | Almaz Ayana (ETH) |
Track & Field Athlete of the Year | Anita Włodarczyk (POL) |
European Athlete of the Year | Ruth Beitia (ESP) |
European Athletics Rising Star | Nafissatou Thiam (BEL) |
The Bowerman | Courtney Okolo (USA) |
Among the first doping suspensions of the year was Kazakhstan hurdler Anastasiya Soprunova, who had won the Asian indoor title. [7] Retests of samples taken at the 2008 Summer Olympics and 2012 Summer Olympics using new methods revealed several high-profile track athletes had given positive results, including major medallists for Russia. [8] [9]
Athlete | Nation | Occupation | Age | Date | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
John Disley | United Kingdom | Steeplechaser | 87 | February 8 | [175] |
Yuriy Dumchev | Russia | Discus thrower | 57 | February 10 | [176] |
Dick Brown | United States | Coach | 78 | February 27 | [177] |
Iolanda Balas | Romania | High jumper | 79 | March 11 | [178] |
Edmund Piątkowski | Poland | Discus thrower | 80 | March 28 | [179] |
Carlo Monti | Italy | Sprinter | 96 | April 7 | [180] |
Ferenc Paragi | Hungary | Javelin thrower | 62 | April 21 | [181] |
Mike Agostini | Trinidad and Tobago | Sprinter | 81 | May 12 | [182] |
Mark Ouma | Uganda | Journalist | 55 | July 10 | [183] |
John Holt | United Kingdom | Athlete and administrator | 77 | November 17 | [184] |
Cecil Smith | Canada | Administrator | 80 | December 2 | [185] |
Miruts Yifter | Ethiopia | Distance runner | 72 | December 22 | [186] |
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In 2017, the foremost athletics event was the World Championships in London. The other major global-level competition in 2017 was the World Cross Country Championships.
In 2018, no world outdoor athletics championships was held. Major events held during the year included the 2018 IAAF World Indoor Championships, 2018 IAAF Continental Cup, 2018 IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships, and 2018 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships.
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