BERLIN – Kenyan marathon world record holder Eliud Kipchoge and
400 metre hurdles record holder Dalilah Muhammad have been named male
and female World Athletes of the Year at the World Athletics Awards
2019, held at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on Saturday.
In October, Kipchoge, 35, became the first athlete to run a marathon
faster than two hours when he posted 1 hour 59 minutes and 40.2
seconds at the Vienna marathon on Saturday.
The sub 2-hour time is a historic landmark in athletics but it will
not count as a world record as it was not run in open competition but
on a specially designed course using 41 pacemakers.
"I hope I inspire the human race. I'm just really happy to make
history," Kipchoge said upon receiving the award.
"I hope it was a big inspiration to the next generation."
Muhammad, 29, broke the world record in the 400m hurdles twice this
year, first with a 52.20 performance at the US Championships in July
to eclipse a mark which had stood since 2003.
She broke it again at the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019,
clocking 52.16 in one of the championships' most eagerly-awaited
finals to claim the world title for the first time.
Muhammad also won world gold in the 4x400m relay and won five of her
seven races.
"It's been a tough year and it's just come home excellently,"
Muhammad said.