| Index | ||||
| Athletics | ||||
| Awards | ||||
| Click on underlined Athletes to access photograph and career highlights | ||||
| I.A.A.F World Athlete of the Year | ||||
| Men | Women | |||
| 1988 | Carl Lewis | USA | Florence Griffith-Joyner | USA |
| 1990 | Roger Kingdom | USA | Ana Fidelia Quirot | CUB |
| 1990 | Steve Backley | GBR | Merlene Ottey | JAM |
| 1991 | Carl Lewis | USA | Katrin Krabbe | GER |
| 1992 | Kevin Young | USA | Heike Henkel | GER |
| 1993 | Colin Jackson | GBR | Sally Gunnell | GBR |
| 1994 | Noureddine Morceli | ALG | Jackie Joyner-Kersee | USA |
| 1995 | Jonathan Edwards | GBR | Gwen Torrence | USA |
| 1996 | Michael Johnson | USA | Svetlana Masterkova | RUS |
| 1997 | Wilson Kipketer | DEN | Marion Jones | USA |
| 1998 | Haile Gebrselassie | ETH | Marion Jones | USA |
| 1999 | Michael Johnson | USA | Gabriele Szabo | ROM |
| 2000 | Jan Zelezny | CZE | Marion Jones | USA |
| 2001 | Hicham El Guerrouj | MAR | Stacy Dragila | USA |
| 2002 | Hicham El Guerrouj | MAR | Paula Radcliffe | GBR |
| 2003 | Hicham El Guerrouj | MAR | Hestrie Cloete | RSA |
| 2004 | Kenenisa Bekele | ETH | Yelena Isinbayeva | RUS |
| 2005 | Kenenisa Bekele | ETH | Yelena Isinbayeva | RUS |
| 2006 | Asafa Powell | JAM | Sanya Richards | USA |
| 2007 | Tyson Gay | USA | Meseret Defar | ETH |
| 2008 | Usain Bolt | JAM | Yelena Isinbayeva | RUS |
| 2009 | Usain Bolt | JAM | Sanya Richards | USA |
| 2010 | David Rudisha | KEN | Blanka Vlasic | CRO |
| 2011 | Usain Bolt | JAM | Sally Pearson | AUS |