Athletics made a significant impact this Olympic year, but none of it would have been possible without the exceptional skill and showmanship displayed by these incredible athletes who evoked a wide range of emotions from fans worldwide. With that in mind, here’s the first part of our countdown of the Top 10 World Male Athletes for 2024.
10. Tamirat Tola
Tola had one of the most unexpected turnarounds in 2024. Initially being named as an alternate for the Paris Olympics, he got added to the Ethiopian Marathon team after his teammate, Sisay Lemma came down with an injury. After his season didn’t begin in a good note where he placed 7th at the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon and recorded a Did Not Finish (DNF) at the London Marathon, the Ethiopian had to change his game-plan.
With him being included to the Olympic team as a late addition, he had to make the opportunity count. He defeated a star-studded field that included the three medallists from the previous Olympics, most notably, two-time Olympic Champion Eliud Kipchoge who had the intentions of achieving an unprecedented three-peat. Tola’s winning time of 2:06:26 smashed the Olympic Record (OR) set by Samuel Wanjiru of Kenya at the Beijing Games. Tola also had the honours of winning his nation’s only GOLD medal at the Paris Games, becoming the first Ethiopian man since Gezahegne Abera to win an Olympic marathon race in 24 years.
9. Ethan Katzberg
After an impressive 2023, Katzberg continued to make waves in 2024, delivering some of the best performances in Men’s Hammer throw history. He began his season with a spectacular Area Record (AR) and National Record (NR) of 84.38m at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi, marking the longest throw in 16 years and sky-rocketing him to ninth on the all-time list.
The 22-year-old followed this with another dominant performance at the Trond Mohn Games, throwing 81.98m to win, and continued his consistency with throws of 80.10m and 80.12m in back-to-back competitions. At the Canadian Championships, he won with yet another huge throw of 82.60m.
At the Olympics, he clinched the victory with a massive opening throw of 84.12m, just 68cm shy of the Olympic Record. His ninth 80m throw of the season showcased his unmatched dominance. He was the only competitor in the event to throw above 80m and his GOLD medal in the event is Canada’s first since Duncan Gillis won Silver at the 1912 edition of the Games.
Even though, Katzberg’s streak ended with a 79.04m performance at the Boris Hanzekovic Memorial, his remarkable performance all season firmly cemented him as one of the key sporting figures in Athletics in 2024.
8. Mykolas Alekna
The Lithuanian Discus star opened the season with a World Record (WR) throw of 74.35m, setting the bar very high. He continued his dominance by winning Diamond League events in Marrakech (70.70m), Oslo (70.91m) and Stockholm (68.64m), but faced a rare disappointment at the European Championships, finishing 3rd with 67.48m despite qualifying in 1st place.
Alekna quickly bounced back, winning the FBK Games (69.07m) and the Gyulai Istvan Memorial (70.20m), reaffirming his position as one of the best in the world. At the Paris 2024 Olympics, he narrowly missed out on the GOLD, placing 2nd with a mark of 69.97m, just 3cm behind Jamaica’s Roje Stona who smashed the Olympic Record. He concluded his season with a strong throw of 68.86m at the Brussels Diamond League to finish 2nd.
7. Noah Lyles
With the historic feat he achieved last season where he became the first male athlete since Usain Bolt in 2015 to secure three GOLD medals at the World Championships, Lyles was determined to achieve more this year.
He kicked off his season with an impressive World Lead (WL) of 6.44s to win the 60m at the New Balance Indoor GP. He improved his WL to 6.43s to claim the 60m title at the US Indoor Nationals, despite tough competition from World Record (WR) holder Christian Coleman. At the World Indoor Championships, Lyles finished 2nd to Coleman in the 60m with a time of 6.44s and ran the fastest 4x400m split for Team USA, helping them secure a Silver medal.
After running a wind aided 9.96s at the Bermuda Grand Prix, Lyles anchored his team to GOLD in the men’s 4x100m at the World Relays in a WL of 37.40. He placed 2nd at the Racers Grand Prix in Jamaica with a time of 9.85s, before winning the New York Grand Prix in 19.77s over a headwind of 1.6m/s. At the US Olympic Trials, he claimed the sprint double with times of 9.83s and 19.53s respectively.
At the Olympics, He dashed to a new Personal Best (PB) of 9.79s to emerge victorious in the men’s 100m in the closest finish in Olympic history, becoming the first American in two decades to win the 100m. He earned a Bronze medal in the 200m, replicating his position from the Tokyo Games.
6. Emmanuel Wanyonyi
Wanyonyi had quite an exceptional season. He launched it with a solid 1:43.57 at the Kip Keino Classic, followed by a remarkable victory at the Marrakech Diamond League with a 1:43.84.
Despite a 2nd-place finish with a Personal Best (PB) of 1:41.58 at the Paris Diamond League, he emerged the winner by the narrowest of margins in one of the most intriguing races at the Paris Olympics, which witnessed four athletes go under 1:42 for the first time in a single race. His winning time of 1:41.19 propelled him to No.3 on the all-time list, extending Kenya’s dominance in the event to five consecutive Olympic Games.
Wanyonyi continued with his impressive form, winning in Lausanne with an improved PB of 1:41.11, pushing him to tied 2nd on the all-time list. He won the the Brussels Diamond League final with a time of 1:42.70 to crown his successful season.
