2011 in the sport of athletics

In 2011, the foremost athletics event was the 2011 World Championships in Athletics in Daegu. The other major global level competition held in 2011 was the World Cross Country Championships.

2011 in athletics
Major world events	2011 World Championships
World records set	13
IAAF Athletes of the Year	Usain Bolt Sally Pearson
World Marathon Majors winners	Emmanuel Mutai Liliya Shobukhova
New competitions	African XC Championships
← 2010 2012 → 2011 in sports

The 2011 season marked the re-establishment of the African Cross Country Championships, an event created in response to the change of the World Cross Championships from an annual to a biennial format. It was also the first year since 1992 that the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships was not held, as that competition also switched to a two-year schedule.

Major events

World

• World Championships in Athletics
• World Cross Country Championships
• IAAF Diamond League
• World Youth Championships in Athletics
• IPC Athletics World Championships
• World Student Games
• Military World Games

Regional

• CAC Championships
• NACAC Cross Country Championships
• Pan American Games
• Pan American Junior Championships
• South American Championships
• South American Cross Country Championships
• European Indoor Championships
• European Cross Country Championships
• European Team Championships
• European U23 Championships
• European Junior Championships
• European Youth Olympic Festival
• Commonwealth Youth Games
• Asian Championships
• Pan Arab Games
• Southeast Asian Games
• All-Africa Games
• African Junior Championships
• African Cross Country Championships

National

Dates	Event	City
12–13 February	Austrian Indoor Championships	Linz[1]
12–13 February	Latvian Indoor Championships	Kuldīga[2]
18–19 February	Lithuanian Indoor Championships	Klaipėda[3]
19–21 April	Tonga Championships	Nukuʻalofa[4]
30–31 May	Armenian Championships	Artashat[5]
10–12 June	Japanese Championships	Kumagaya[6]
23–26 June	USA Championships	Eugene
24–25 June	Bahamian Championships	Freeport[7]
25–26 June	Italian Championships	Turin[8]
23–24 July	German Championships	Kassel[9]
23–24 July	Lithuanian Championships	Kaunas[3]
30–31 July	Latvian Championships	[2]
6–7 August	Spanish Championships	Málaga[10]
11–13 August	Polish Championships	Bydgoszcz[11]

World records

Men

Event	Athlete	Nation	Performance	Meeting	Place	Date
Triple jump (indoor)	Teddy Tamgho	France	17.91 m[12]	French Indoor Championships	Aubière, France	20 February
			17.92 m 17.92 m[13]	European Indoor Championships	Paris, France	6 March
Indoor heptathlon	Ashton Eaton	United States	6568 pts[14]	International Indoor Combined Events Meeting	Tallinn, Estonia	5–6 February
25,000 metres (track) 30,000 metres (track)	Moses Mosop	Kenya	1:12:25.4+ 1:26:47.4[15]	Prefontaine Classic	Eugene, Oregon, USA	4 June
30 km (road)	Peter Cheruiyot Kirui	Kenya	1:27:37+[16]	2011 Berlin Marathon	Berlin, Germany	25 September
Marathon	Patrick Makau	Kenya	2:03:38[16]
4 × 100 metres relay	Nesta Carter Michael Frater Yohan Blake Usain Bolt	Jamaica	37.04[17]	World Championships in Athletics	Daegu, South Korea	4 September
50,000 m track walk	Yohann Diniz	France	3:35:27.20[18]	N/A	Reims, France	12 March

Women

Event	Athlete	Nation	Performance	Meeting	Place	Date
4 × 800 m relay (indoor)	Team Moscow Aleksandra Bulanova Yekaterina Martynova Yelena Kofanova Anna Balakshina	Russia	8:06.24[19]	Russian Indoor Championships	Moscow, Russia	18 February
20 km road	Mary Keitany	Kenya	1:02:36+[20]	Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon	Ras Al Khaimah, UAE	18 February
Half marathon			1:05:50[20]
Hammer throw	Betty Heidler	Germany	79.42 m[21]	International Throwing Meeting	Halle, Germany	21 May
20 km road walk	Vera Sokolova	Russia	1:25:08[22]	Russian Race Walking Championships	Sochi, Russia	26 February

Season's bests

Best marks of the year

Event	Men			Women
	Athlete	Mark	Notes	Athlete	Mark	Notes
60 metres	Mike Rodgers (USA)	6.48		LaKya Brookins (USA)	7.09
100 metres	Usain Bolt (JAM)	9.76		Carmelita Jeter (USA)	10.70
200 metres	Yohan Blake (JAM)	19.26		Shalonda Solomon (USA)	22.15
400 metres	LaShawn Merritt (USA)	44.35		Amantle Montsho (BOT)	49.56	†
800 metres	David Rudisha (KEN)	1:41.33		Mariya Savinova (RUS)	1:55.87
1500 metres	Asbel Kiprop (KEN)	3:30.46		Morgan Uceny (USA)	4:00.06
Mile run	Haron Keitany (KEN)	3:49.09		Jennifer Simpson (USA)	4:28.60
3000 metres	Yenew Alamirew (ETH)	7:27.26		Sentayehu Ejigu (ETH)	8:30.26	indoor
5000 metres	Mo Farah (GBR)	12:53.11		Vivian Cheruiyot (KEN)	14:20.87
10,000 metres	Kenenisa Bekele (ETH)	26:43.16		Sally Jepkosgei Kipyego (KEN)	30:38.35
60 metres hurdles	David Oliver (USA)	7.37		Kellie Wells (USA)	7.79
100/110 metres hurdles	David Oliver (USA)	12.94		Sally Pearson (AUS)	12.28
400 metres hurdles	L.J. van Zyl (RSA)	47.66		Lashinda Demus (USA)	52.47
3000 metres steeplechase	Brimin Kipruto (KEN)	7:53.64		Yuliya Zaripova (RUS)	9:07.03
10 kilometres	Micah Kogo (KEN)  Leonard Komon (KEN)	27:15		Joyce Chepkirui (KEN)	30:38
15 kilometres	Leonard Komon (KEN)	41:26		Mary Keitany (KEN)	46:40
20 kilometres	Deriba Merga (ETH)	56:16		Mary Keitany (KEN)	1:02:36	WR
Half marathon	Zersenay Tadese (ERI)	58:30		Mary Keitany (KEN)	1:05:50	WR
25 kilometres	Mathew Kisorio (KEN)	1:12:13		Mary Keitany (KEN)	1:21:38
30 kilometres	Peter Cheruiyot Kirui (KEN)	1:27:37	WR	Liliya Shobukhova (RUS)	1:38:23	WR
Marathon	Patrick Makau (KEN)	2:03:38	WR	Liliya Shobukhova (RUS)	2:18:20
20 kilometres race walk	Wang Zhen (CHN)	1:18:30		Vera Sokolova (RUS)	1:25:08	WR
50 kilometres race walk	Sergey Bakulin (RUS)	3:38:46		—
Pole vault	Renaud Lavillenie (FRA)	6.03 m	indoor	Jennifer Suhr (USA)	4.91 m
High jump	Ivan Ukhov (RUS)	2.38 m	indoor	Anna Chicherova (RUS)	2.07 m	NR
Long jump	Mitchell Watt (AUS)	8.54 m		Brittney Reese (USA)	7.19 m
Triple jump	Christian Taylor (USA)	17.96 m		Yargelis Savigne (CUB)  Caterine Ibargüen (COL)	14.99 m
Shot put	Dylan Armstrong (CAN)	22.21 m		Valerie Adams (NZL)	21.24 m
Discus throw	Zoltán Kővágó (HUN)	69.50 m		Li Yanfeng (CHN)	67.98 m	†
Javelin throw	Andreas Thorkildsen (NOR)	90.61 m		Barbora Špotáková (CZE)	71.58 m	†
Hammer throw	Krisztián Pars (HUN)	81.89 m		Betty Heidler (GER)	79.42 m	WR
Pentathlon	—			Antoinette Nana Djimou Ida (FRA)	4723 pts
Heptathlon	Ashton Eaton (USA)	6568 pts	WR	Jessica Ennis-Hill (GBR)	6790 pts	†
Decathlon	Ashton Eaton (USA)	8729 pts		—
4 × 100 metres relay	Jamaica Nesta Carter Michael Frater Yohan Blake Usain Bolt	37.04	WR	United States Bianca Knight Allyson Felix Marshevet Myers Carmelita Jeter	41.56
4 × 400 metres relay	United States Greg Nixon Jamaal Torrance Michael Berry LaShawn Merritt	2:58.82		United States Sanya Richards-Ross Allyson Felix Jessica Beard Francena McCorory		3:18.09

• ^† = Russia's Anastasiya Kapachinskaya ran 49.35 in July in at the Russian National Championships in Cheboksary, but this was annulled after she later failed a drug test.
• ^† = Russia's Mariya Abakumova threw 71.99, a championship record, at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, but this was annulled after she later failed a drug test.
• ^† = Croatia's Sandra Perković had a throw of 69.99 m in June in Varaždin, but this was annulled after she later failed a drug test.^[23]
• ^† = Russia's Tatyana Chernova accumulated 6880 points at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, but this was annulled after she later failed a drug test.

Awards

Australia's Sally Pearson was the women's IAAF Athlete of the Year.

Men

Award	Winner
IAAF World Athlete of the Year	Usain Bolt (JAM)[24]
Track & Field Athlete of the Year	David Rudisha (KEN)[25]
European Athlete of the Year	Mo Farah (GBR)[26]
European Athletics Rising Star	David Storl (GER)[27]

Women

Award	Winner
IAAF World Athlete of the Year	Sally Pearson (AUS)[24]
Track & Field Athlete of the Year	Vivian Cheruiyot (KEN)[28]
European Athlete of the Year	Mariya Savinova (RUS)[26]
European Athletics Rising Star	Jodie Williams (GBR)[27]

Deaths

The 2008 Olympic marathon champion Samuel Wanjiru died in May.

• 3 January – Zbigniew Jaremski (61), 400 m relay silver medallist at the 1976 Olympics^[29]
• 16 January – Stefka Yordanova (64), 1973 European indoor champion over 800 m^[30]
• 3 February – Robert Young (95), 400 m relay silver medallist at the 1936 Olympics^[31]
• 5 February – Albert Yator (17), Kenyan world junior steeplechase medalist^[32]
• 13 February – Inese Jaunzeme (78), javelin thrower and Latvia's first Olympic champion
• 19 February – Ollie Matson (70), 400 m runner and 1952 Olympic medallist^[33]
• 25 February – Peter Hildreth (82), 1950 European Championships medallist in the hurdles^[34]
• 14 March – Eduard Gushchin (60), 1968 Olympic medallist in the shot put ^[35]
• 19 April – Grete Waitz (57), distance runner and world champion and record holder in the marathon^[36]
• 16 May – Samuel Wanjiru (24), first Kenyan to win the Olympic marathon and a former half marathon world record holder^[37]
• 28 May – Romuald Klim (78), 1964 Olympic champion and former world record holder in the hammer throw^[38]
• 30 May – Ricky Bruch, (64) former world record holder in the discus throw^[39]
• 6 June – Benjamín González (53), World and European indoor medallist over 400 and 800 metres^[40]
• 10 June – Cosimo Caliandro (29), 3000 metres gold medallist at the 2007 European Indoors^[41]
• 10 July – Ragnar Lundberg (86), pole vaulter and 1950 European champion^[42]
• 12 July – Kurt Lundquist (85), 400 m runner and 1948 Olympic relay medallist^[43]
• 17 August – Pierre Quinon (49), 1984 Olympic pole vault champion^[44]
• 2 October – Vera Popkova (68), 1971 European indoor champion over 400 metres^[45]
• 13 October – Abdoulaye Seye (77), sprinter and 1960 Olympic medallist over 200 m^[46]
• 12 December – Sunday Bada (42), 1997 World indoor champion over 400 metres and Olympic relay gold medallist^[47]

References

1. "Austrian Indoor Championships". Archived from the original on 2011-01-25. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
2. Latvian Championships Archived 2011-01-16 at the Wayback Machine
3. Lithuanian Championships Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine
4. Tonga Championships Archived 2011-07-19 at the Wayback Machine
5. Armenian Championships Archived 2011-07-06 at the Wayback Machine
6. Japanese Championships
7. Bahamian Championships
8. Italian Championships
9. "111. Deutsche Leichtathletik-Meisterschaften" (PDF). Deutscher Leichtathletik-Verband (in German). 24 July 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 March 2012. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
10. Spanish Championships
11. 87 Mistrzostwa Polski
12. Tamgho triples to 17.91m World indoor record in Aubiere Archived 2011-02-28 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-02-20.
13. Ramsak, Bob (2011-03-06). Tamgho twice (!) triples 17.92m World record in Paris as European Indoor Champs conclude. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-03-09.
14. Lindmae, Maris (2011-02-06). Eaton sets new World record in Tallinn with 6568 points. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-02-12.
15. Martin, Dave (2011-06-04). Mosop rips apart World records for 25,000 and 30,000m in Eugene – Samsung Diamond League Archived 2011-07-09 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-06-05.
16. Butcher, Pat (2011-09-25). Makau stuns with 2:03:38 Marathon World record in Berlin! - UPDATED. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-10-05.
17. Ramsak, Bob (2011-09-04). Daegu 2011 - Day 9 SUMMARY - 4 September Archived 2012-01-02 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-09-14.
18. Warburton, Paul (2011-03-12). Rolling Stones and champagne accompany World 50,000m race walk track record for Diniz Archived 2011-08-30 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-03-13.
19. Nickolai Dolgopolov and Rostislav Orlov (2011-02-19). Women’s World 4x800m Relay record falls in Moscow – Russian indoor champs wrap Archived 2011-09-16 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-02-20.
20. Hutchings, Tim (2011-02-18). Keitany smashes Half Marathon World record in Ras Al Khaimah - UPDATED. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-02-18.
21. Wenig, Jorg (2011-05-21). 79.42m - Heidler breaks World Hammer Throw record in Halle - UPDATED. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-06-23.
22. Nickolai Dolgopolov and Rostislav Orlov (2011-02-26). Sokolova heads off Kirdyapkina to clock 1:25:08 World record - UPDATED Archived 2011-06-29 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-03-05.
23. Discus Throw 2011. IAAF (2011-12-15). Retrieved on 2011-12-17.
24. Bolt and Pearson are World Athletes of the Year – 2011 World Athletics Gala. IAAF (2011-11-12). Retrieved on 2011-12-17.
25. "Track & Field News - the Bible of the Sport Since 1948".
26. Farah and Savinova named European Athletes of the Year. IAAF/European Athletics (2011-10-05). Retrieved on 2011-12-17.
27. Stars of Europe honoured during the Awards Night in Arona Archived 2011-12-20 at the Wayback Machine. European Athletics (2011-10-05). Retrieved on 2011-12-17.
28. "Track & Field News - the Bible of the Sport Since 1948".
29. Zbigniew Jaremski. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2011-12-17.
30. Former European 800m indoor champion Yordanova dies. European Athletics (2011-01-19). Retrieved on 2011-12-17.
31. Bob Young. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2011-12-17.
32. Albert Yator cause of death confirmed Archived 2011-07-21 at the Wayback Machine. Athletics Weekly (2011-02-09). Retrieved on 2011-05-29.
33. Pergament, Alan (2011-02-22). Matson obituary: protecting the NFL? Archived 2011-12-29 at the Wayback Machine Still Talkin' TV (wnymedia.net). Retrieved 2011-12-17.
34. 1950 European Athletics Championships medallist Peter Hildreth dies Archived March 5, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. European Athletics (2011-02-27). Retrieved on 2011-12-17.
35. 1968 Olympic medallist Eduard Gushchin dies Archived 2011-04-24 at the Wayback Machine. European Athletics (2011-03-15). Retrieved on 2011-12-17.
36. Distance running legend Grete Waitz passes away, memorial tribute to be held on 11 May. IAAF (2011-04-19). Retrieved on 2011-05-01.
37. Ramsak, Bob (2011-05-16). Samuel Wanjiru, Olympic Marathon champion, dies at 24. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-05-18.
38. Klim, Olympic Hammer Throw champion, passes away. IAAF (2011-06-02). Retrieved on 2011-12-17.
39. Archived 2011-06-02 at the Wayback Machine (Swedish)
40. Spain’s 1982 European Athletics Indoor Championships medallist Benjamin Gonzalez dies Archived 2012-08-25 at the Wayback Machine. European Athletics (2011-06-09). Retrieved on 2011-06-11.
41. Italy’s 2007 European indoor championships Cosimo Caliandro killed Archived June 15, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. European Athletics (2011-06-11). Retrieved on 2011-06-11.
42. Ragnar Lundberg. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2011-12-17.
43. Kurt Lundquist. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2011-12-17.
44. French Pole Vault ace Pierre Quinon has died. IAAF (2011-08-18). Retrieved on 2011-09-21.
45. Former European indoor 400m champion Vera Popkova passes away Archived 2011-10-09 at the Wayback Machine. European Athletics (2011-10-04). Retrieved on 2011-10-05.
46. Abdoulaye Seye, 1960 Olympic bronze medallist, passes away. IAAF (2011-10-14). Retrieved on 2011-12-17.
47. 1997 World Indoor champion Sunday Bada dies. IAAF (2011-12-13). Retrieved on 2011-12-17.

Further reading

Annual season reviews from IAAF by A. Lennart Julin and Mirko Jalava:

Sprints Middle-distances Long-distance (track)

Road running and race walking Hurdles

Jumps Throws Combined events