Andre De Grasse, 22, named IAAF Rising Star for 2016
Andre De Grasse was named the IAAF's Rising Star of 2016 on Friday while Usain Bolt and Almaz Ayana collected athlete of the year honours.
Usain Bolt and Almaz Ayana have been named the IAAF Athletes of the Year.
The two Olympic champions were honoured by the governing body for international athletics on Friday in Monte Carlo. Also named an award winner was Andre De Grasse, who earned the IAAF Male Rising Star after a triple-medal performance at the Rio Olympics. The Canadian won a silver in the 200m, and two bronze in the 100m and 4x100m, all events won by Usain Bolt.
The 22-year-old who grew up in the Greater Toronto Area resides in Phoenix, Ariz. and trains under Stuart McMillan and ALTIS. The Puma athlete set a new national record in the men’s 200m at the Olympics and anchored Canada to a bronze medal in a record-breaking time. De Grasse, along with Brendon Rodney, Akeem Haynes and Aaron Brown, broke the longstanding Canadian record held by Donovan Bailey and company running 37.64.
Ayana shocked the running world when she set a world record in the women’s 10,000m in Rio, the first final of the August Games. The Ethiopian ran 29:17.45 to win gold. She also ran the second fastest 5,000m ever earlier in the summer clocking 14:12.59. She earned a bronze in the 5,000m at the Rio Olympics.
Meanwhile, there was buzz on social media over Bolt defeating Wayde Van Niekerk for the male athlete of the year honours. Van Niekerk broke the men’s 400m world record at the Olympics running 43.03 from lane eight. Michael Johnson’s record was considered almost “unbeatable” as it stood since 1999.
The four primary award winners can be found below.
IAAF Male Athlete of the Year
IAAF World Athlete of the Year @usainbolt pic.twitter.com/QK1N2bCdrk
— SPIKES (@spikesmag) December 2, 2016
IAAF Female Athlete of the Year
IAAF Female World Athlete of the Year
Almaz Ayana pic.twitter.com/GdV7CWdRpG
— SPIKES (@spikesmag) December 2, 2016
IAAF Male Rising Star
IAAF Male Rising Star@De6rasse pic.twitter.com/NXU6i64lGb
— SPIKES (@spikesmag) December 2, 2016
IAAF Female Rising Star
IAAF Female Rising Star@thiam_nafi pic.twitter.com/rjyoh9M8Py
— SPIKES (@spikesmag) December 2, 2016
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