This article contains an overview of the year 2009 in athletics.
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.Ramsak, Bob (2009-09-04). Bekele, Isinbayeva and Richards’ road to the Jackpot – ÅF Golden League. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-10-25.
Major events
World
World Championships in Athletics World Half Marathon Championships World Cross Country Championships World Athletics Final World Youth Championships Golden League World Student Games
Regional
African Junior Championships CAC Championships South American Championships Pan American Junior Championships Jeux de la Francophonie Lusophony Games European Team Championships European Indoor Championships European Junior Championships European U23 Championships European Cross Country Championships European Mountain Running Championships European Race Walking Cup Mediterranean Games Asian Championships Asian Indoor Games East Asian Games Southeast Asian Games Asian Youth Games Maccabiah Games
National
China National Games German Championships Finnish Championships Lithuanian Championships USA Outdoor Championships
World records
Men Event Athlete Nation Performance Place Date 100 m Usain Bolt 9.58Berlin, Germany August 16 200 m 19.19 August 20 10 km (road) Micah Kogo 27:01 Brunssum, Netherlands March 29 15 km (road) Deriba Merga 41.29 =WR Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates February 2030 km (road) Haile Gebrselassie 1:27:49Berlin Marathon, GermanySeptember 20 4×1500 metres relayWilliam Biwott TanuiGideon GathimbaGeoffrey Kipkoech RonoAugustine Kiprono Choge 14:36.23 Brussels, Belgium September 4
Women Event Athlete Nation Performance Place Date 5000 m (indoor) Meseret Defar 14:24.37 Stockholm, Sweden February 18 15 km (road) Tirunesh Dibaba 46:28 Nijmegen, Netherlands November 15 Pole vault Yelena Isinbayeva 5.06 m Zürich, Switzerland August 28 Pole vault (indoor) Yelena Isinbayeva 4.97 m Donetsk, Ukraine February 15 5.00 m Hammer throw Anita Wlodarczyk 77.96 m Berlin, Germany August 22
Season's bests 60 metres 6.42 s AR 7.11 s 100 metres 9.58 s WR 10.64 s 200 metres 19.19 s WR 21.88 s 400 metres 44.06 s 48.83 800 metres 1:42.01 AR 1:55.45 1500 metres 3:29.47 3:56.55 3000 metres 7:28.37 8:26.99 i 5000 metres 12:52.32 14:24.37 i 10,000 metres 26:46.31 29:53.80 60 metres hurdles 7.37 7.82 100/110 metres hurdles 13.04 s 12.46 400 metres hurdles 47.91 s 52.42 3000 metres steeplechase 7:58.85 9:07.32 10 kilometres 27:01 WR 31:04 15 kilometres 41:29+ WR 46:28 WR20 kilometres 56:48+ 1:02:59+ Half marathon 58:52 1:06:36 25 kilometres 1:13:09+ 1:22:31 30 kilometres 1:27:49+ WR 1:41:14 Marathon 2:04:27 2:22:11 20 kilometres race walk 1:17:38 1:24:56 50 kilometres race walk 3:38:35 — Pole vault 6.06 i 5.06 High jump 2.40 i 2.08 Long jump 8.74 7.10 Triple jump 17.73 15.14 Shot put 22.16 21.07 Discus throw 71.64 66.40 Javelin throw 91.28 68.92 Hammer throw 82.58 77.96 WRHeptathlon— 6731 Decathlon 8790 — 4×100 metres relay Steve MullingsMichael FraterUsain BoltAsafa Powell 37.31 Lauryn WilliamsAllyson FelixMuna LeeCarmelita Jeter 41.58 4×400 metres relay Angelo TaylorJeremy WarinerKerron ClementLaShawn Merritt 2:57.86 Debbie DunnAllyson FelixLashinda DemusSanya Richards 3:17.83
Awards
Men
AwardWinner IAAF World Athlete of the Year Bolt and Richards are World Athletes of the Year – 2009 World Athletics Gala. IAAF (2009-11-22). Retrieved on 2009-11-22. Track & Field Athlete of the Year European Athlete of the Year European Athletics Rising Star
Women AwardWinner IAAF World Athlete of the Year Track & Field Athlete of the Year European Athlete of the Year European Athletics Rising Star
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,Berlin to host largest ever IAAF Anti-Doping operation. IAAF (2009-08-11). Retrieved on 12 August 2009 Archived 8 September 2009 and Jamel Chatbi and Nigerian hurdler Amaka Ogoegbunam were the only athletes who tested positive.Berlin 2009 - Nigerian fails drugs test. Eurosport/Reuters (2009-08-21). Retrieved on 2009-09-25. 2009-09-27. 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.Jamaicans given three-month ban. BBC Sport (2009-09-17). Retrieved on 2009-10-25.
A Brazilian coach, Jayme Netto, admitted that he had administered the banned drug recombinant EPO on five of his athletes without their knowledge.Coach takes blame for five Brazilian athletes failing drug tests. The Guardian (2009-08-06). Retrieved on 2009-10-25. South American champion Lucimar Teodoro was another high-profile Brazilian athlete to be banned.Brazilian hurdler banned for two years for doping. Reuters (2009-08-12). Retrieved on 2009-08-12.
Retirements Kim Collins, 100 m gold medallist at the 2003 World Championships.Raynor, Kayon (2009-09-29). Collins, 2003 World 100m champion, retires. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-09-28. (returned to competition in 2010) Stacy Dragila, Olympic gold medallist, two-time World Champion, and former world record holder in the pole vault.Morse, Parker (2009-09-25). Pole Vault Pioneer Stacy Dragila takes a bow. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-09-30. Yulia Pechonkina, 2005 World Champion in the 400 m hurdles, and current world record holder.Illness ends Pechonkina's career. BBC Sport (2009-09-28). Retrieved on 2009-09-28.
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