2009 in the sport of athletics

This article contains an overview of the year 2009 in athletics.

2009 in athletics
Major world events2009 World Championships
World records set9
IAAF Athletes of the YearUsain Bolt
Sanya Richards
World Marathon Majors winnersSamuel Wanjiru
Irina Mikitenko
Defunct competitionsIAAF World Athletics Final
IAAF Golden League
2008
2010

The major competition of the year was the 2009 World Championships in Athletics. At the event, Usain Bolt reaffirmed himself as one of the world's foremost athletes with world records in the 100 and 200 metres. Caster Semenya won 800 m gold at the championships, but a request that she submit to a gender verification test was made public, sparking widespread controversy and debate. Yelena Isinbayeva, a clear favourite, finished last in the pole vault competition, but rebounded with a world record a week later.

Kenenisa Bekele, Sanya Richards and Isinbayeva were the winners of the last IAAF Golden League jackpot, as the series was replaced by the IAAF Diamond League in 2010.[1]

Major events

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World

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Regional

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National

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World records

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Event Athlete Nation Performance Place Date
100 m Usain Bolt   Jamaica 9.58 Berlin, Germany August 16
200 m 19.19 August 20
10 km (road) Micah Kogo   Kenya 27:01 Brunssum, Netherlands March 29
15 km (road) Deriba Merga   Ethiopia 41.29+ =WR Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates February 20
30 km (road) Haile Gebrselassie   Ethiopia 1:27:49+ Berlin Marathon, Germany September 20
4×1500 metres relay William Biwott Tanui
Gideon Gathimba
Geoffrey Kipkoech Rono
Augustine Kiprono Choge
  Kenya 14:36.23 Brussels, Belgium September 4

Women

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Event Athlete Nation Performance Place Date
5000 m (indoor) Meseret Defar   Ethiopia 14:24.37 Stockholm, Sweden February 18
15 km (road) Tirunesh Dibaba   Ethiopia 46:28 Nijmegen, Netherlands November 15
Pole vault Yelena Isinbayeva   Russia 5.06 m Zürich, Switzerland August 28
Pole vault (indoor) Yelena Isinbayeva   Russia 4.97 m Donetsk, Ukraine February 15
5.00 m
Hammer throw Anita Wlodarczyk   Poland 77.96 m Berlin, Germany August 22

Season's bests

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Best marks of the year
Event Men Women
Athlete Mark Notes Athlete Mark Notes
60 metres   Dwain Chambers (GBR) 6.42 s AR   Carmelita Jeter (USA) 7.11 s
100 metres   Usain Bolt (JAM) 9.58 s WR   Carmelita Jeter (USA) 10.64 s
200 metres   Usain Bolt (JAM) 19.19 s WR   Allyson Felix (USA) 21.88 s
400 metres   LaShawn Merritt (USA) 44.06 s   Sanya Richards (USA) 48.83
800 metres   David Rudisha (KEN) 1:42.01 AR   Caster Semenya (RSA) 1:55.45
1500 metres   Augustine Choge (KEN) 3:29.47   Maryam Yusuf Jamal (BHR) 3:56.55
3000 metres   Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) 7:28.37   Meseret Defar (ETH) 8:26.99 i
5000 metres   Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) 12:52.32   Meseret Defar (ETH) 14:24.37 i
10,000 metres   Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) 26:46.31   Meselech Melkamu (ETH) 29:53.80
60 metres hurdles   Terrence Trammell (USA) 7.37   Lolo Jones (USA) 7.82
100/110 metres hurdles   Dayron Robles (CUB) 13.04 s   Brigitte Foster-Hylton (JAM) 12.46
400 metres hurdles   Kerron Clement (USA) 47.91 s   Melaine Walker (JAM) 52.42
3000 metres steeplechase   Ezekiel Kemboi (KEN) 7:58.85   Marta Domínguez (ESP) 9:07.32
10 kilometres   Micah Kogo (KEN) 27:01 WR   Mary Keitany (KEN) 31:04
15 kilometres   Deriba Merga (ETH) 41:29+ WR   Tirunesh Dibaba (ETH) 46:28 WR
20 kilometres   Haile Gebrselassie (ETH)
  Sammy Kitwara (KEN)
56:48+   Mary Keitany (KEN) 1:02:59+
Half marathon   Patrick Makau (KEN) 58:52   Mary Keitany (KEN) 1:06:36
25 kilometres   Haile Gebrselassie (ETH)
  John Kales (KEN)
  Samuel Kosgei (KEN)
1:13:09+   Peninah Jerop Arusei (KEN) 1:22:31
30 kilometres   Haile Gebrselassie (ETH)
  Samuel Kosgei (KEN)
1:27:49+ WR   Irina Mikitenko (GER)
  Mara Yamauchi (GBR)
1:41:14
Marathon   Duncan Kibet (KEN)
  James Kwambai (KEN)
2:04:27   Irina Mikitenko (GER) 2:22:11
20 kilometres race walk   Valeriy Borchin (RUS) 1:17:38   Olga Kaniskina (RUS) 1:24:56
50 kilometres race walk   Sergey Kirdyapkin (RUS) 3:38:35
Pole vault   Steven Hooker (AUS) 6.06 i   Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS) 5.06
High jump   Ivan Ukhov (RUS) 2.40 i   Blanka Vlašić (CRO) 2.08
Long jump   Dwight Phillips (USA) 8.74   Brittney Reese (USA) 7.10
Triple jump   Phillips Idowu (GBR) 17.73   Nadezhda Alekhina (RUS) 15.14
Shot put   Christian Cantwell (USA) 22.16   Valerie Vili (NZL) 21.07
Discus throw   Gerd Kanter (EST) 71.64   Yanfeng Li (CHN) 66.40
Javelin throw   Andreas Thorkildsen (NOR) 91.28   Maria Abakumova (RUS) 68.92
Hammer throw
details
  Primož Kozmus (SLO) 82.58   Anita Wlodarczyk (POL) 77.96 WR
Heptathlon   Jessica Ennis (GBR) 6731
Decathlon
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  Trey Hardee (USA) 8790
4×100 metres relay   Jamaica
Steve Mullings
Michael Frater
Usain Bolt
Asafa Powell
37.31   United States
Lauryn Williams
Allyson Felix
Muna Lee
Carmelita Jeter
41.58
4×400 metres relay   United States
Angelo Taylor
Jeremy Wariner
Kerron Clement
LaShawn Merritt
2:57.86   United States
Debbie Dunn
Allyson Felix
Lashinda Demus
Sanya Richards
3:17.83

Awards

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Phillips Idowu - the European Athlete of the year
Award Winner
IAAF World Athlete of the Year   Usain Bolt (JAM)[2]
Track & Field Athlete of the Year   Usain Bolt (JAM)
European Athlete of the Year   Phillips Idowu (GBR)
European Athletics Rising Star   Christophe Lemaitre (FRA)

Women

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Award Winner
IAAF World Athlete of the Year   Sanya Richards (USA)[2]
Track & Field Athlete of the Year   Sanya Richards (USA)
European Athlete of the Year   Marta Domínguez (ESP)
European Athletics Rising Star   Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal (NOR)

Doping

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Incidents of athletes testing positive for banned substances were low-key compared to previous years. The IAAF conducted their largest ever anti-doping program at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics,[3] and Jamel Chatbi and Nigerian hurdler Amaka Ogoegbunam were the only athletes who tested positive.[4] Five Jamaican sprint athletes, including Yohan Blake and Sheri-Ann Brooks, tested positive for Methylhexanamine prior to the world championships. Four of the athletes received three-month bans, while Brooks was cleared on a technicality.[5]

A Brazilian coach, Jayme Netto, admitted that he had administered the banned drug recombinant EPO on five of his athletes without their knowledge.[6] South American champion Lucimar Teodoro was another high-profile Brazilian athlete to be banned.[7]

Retirements

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Deaths

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  • February 18 — Kamila Skolimowska (26), Polish hammer thrower (born 1982)
  • April 6 — Svetlana Ulmasova (56), Uzbekistani long-distance runner (born 1953)
  • May 8 — Fons Brydenbach (54), Belgian sprinter (born 1954)
  • June 27 — Nanae Nagata (53), Japanese long-distance runner (born 1956)
  • October 2 — Jørgen Jensen (65), Danish long-distance runner (born 1944)
  • October 25 — Ingeborg Mello (90), Argentine discus thrower and shot putter (born 1919)

References

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  1. ^ Ramsak, Bob (2009-09-04). Bekele, Isinbayeva and Richards’ road to the Jackpot – ÅF Golden League. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-10-25.
  2. ^ a b Bolt and Richards are World Athletes of the Year – 2009 World Athletics Gala. IAAF (2009-11-22). Retrieved on 2009-11-22.
  3. ^ Berlin to host largest ever IAAF Anti-Doping operation. IAAF (2009-08-11). Retrieved on 12 August 2009 Archived 8 September 2009
  4. ^ Berlin 2009 - Nigerian fails drugs test. Eurosport/Reuters (2009-08-21). Retrieved on 2009-09-25. Archived 2009-09-27.
  5. ^ Jamaicans given three-month ban. BBC Sport (2009-09-17). Retrieved on 2009-10-25.
  6. ^ Coach takes blame for five Brazilian athletes failing drug tests. The Guardian (2009-08-06). Retrieved on 2009-10-25.
  7. ^ Brazilian hurdler banned for two years for doping. Reuters (2009-08-12). Retrieved on 2009-08-12.
  8. ^ Raynor, Kayon (2009-09-29). Collins, 2003 World 100m champion, retires. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-09-28.
  9. ^ Morse, Parker (2009-09-25). Pole Vault Pioneer Stacy Dragila takes a bow. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-09-30.
  10. ^ Illness ends Pechonkina's career. BBC Sport (2009-09-28). Retrieved on 2009-09-28.