Karsten Warholm and Sifan Hassan were crowned European Athletes of the Year in Lausanne on Saturday, after a spectacular season in which the Norwegian hurdler and the Dutch middle-distance star picked up yet more records and titles.
As well as their respective Olympic titles in Tokyo, Warholm and Hassan also shone on the Wanda Diamond League circuit, with both athletes looking to defend the Diamond Trophies they won in 2019.
Warholm defends title
2021 could hardly have gone better for Warholm, who began his Diamond League campaign with a historic world record on home soil in Oslo. The Norwegian clocked 46.70 to join the exclusive list of athletes to have broken the world record at a Diamond League meeting, and become the first to do it in his own country on the WDL circuit.
He would later break the record again on his way to a gold medal in Tokyo, before returning to the Diamond League to pick up a meeting record in Monaco and a second successive Diamond Trophy at the final in Zurich.
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dzg9ik8r4kA" title="YouTube video player" width="853"></iframe>
Hassan on fire in Florence
Sifan Hassan began the season as reigning Diamond League champion in both the 1500m and the 5000m, and while she may not have defended either of her titles in the end, the Dutch star nonetheless delivered an array of stunning performances and battles with Kenyan rival Faith Kipyegon.
The 28-year-old began her season with an incredible performance in Florence, clocking a meeting record of 3:53.63 to beat Kipyegon, despite the latter clocking a PB and Kenyan record herself in second.
Having picked up three medals in three disciplines, Hassan returned to the circuit to take on Kipyegon in a thrilling 1500m final in Zurich. This time, it was the Kenyan who triumphed, edging out the Dutch star by 0.2 of a second to regain the Diamond Trophy.
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/q5kn0w_tD-c" title="YouTube video player" width="853"></iframe>