2009 in the sport of athletics
This page contains an overview of the year 2009 in athletics.
| 2009 in athletics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Major world events | 2009 World Championships |
| World records set | 9 |
| IAAF Athletes of the Year | Usain Bolt Sanya Richards |
| World Marathon Majors winners | Samuel Wanjiru Irina Mikitenko |
| Defunct competitions | IAAF 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
World
Regional
World records
Men
| 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
| 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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Awards
Men
Women
Doping
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
- Kim Collins, 100 m gold medallist at the 2003 World Championships.[8] (returned to competition in 2010)
- Stacy Dragila, Olympic gold medallist, two-time World Champion, and former world record holder in the pole vault.[9]
- Yulia Pechonkina, 2005 World Champion in the 400 m hurdles, and current world record holder.[10]
Deaths
- 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
- Ramsak, Bob (2009-09-04). Bekele, Isinbayeva and Richards’ road to the Jackpot – ÅF Golden League. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-10-25.
- Bolt and Richards are World Athletes of the Year – 2009 World Athletics Gala. IAAF (2009-11-22). Retrieved on 2009-11-22.
- Berlin to host largest ever IAAF Anti-Doping operation. IAAF (2009-08-11). Retrieved on 12 August 2009 Archived 8 September 2009
- Berlin 2009 - Nigerian fails drugs test. Eurosport/Reuters (2009-08-21). Retrieved on 2009-09-25. Archived 2009-09-27.
- Jamaicans given three-month ban. BBC Sport (2009-09-17). Retrieved on 2009-10-25.
- Coach takes blame for five Brazilian athletes failing drug tests. The Guardian (2009-08-06). Retrieved on 2009-10-25.
- Brazilian hurdler banned for two years for doping. Reuters (2009-08-12). Retrieved on 2009-08-12.
- Raynor, Kayon (2009-09-29). Collins, 2003 World 100m champion, retires. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-09-28.
- Morse, Parker (2009-09-25). Pole Vault Pioneer Stacy Dragila takes a bow. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-09-30.
- Illness ends Pechonkina's career. BBC Sport (2009-09-28). Retrieved on 2009-09-28.
