World Athletics Awards 2021: Thompson-Herah chasing more glory, Warholm relives 'unbelievable' Olympics moment

Tokyo Olympic gold medalists Elaine Thompson-Herah and Karsten Warholm were named World Athletes of the Year on Wednesday. They were facilitated at the World Athletics Awards 2021.

Thompson-Herah retained her Olympic 100m and 200m titles in Tokyo and added a third gold medal in the 4x100m relay. On top of her Olympic triple, she also clocked world-leading time (10.54s in 100m and 21.53s in 200m) in her sprints.

Speaking after receiving the award, Thompson-Herah said there is more to come and she isn't calling it quits anytime soon. Having set sights on the next World Championships in Oregon, Thompson-Herah said:

"I just take it year by year. I went very close to the world record so you know, anything is possible. No spikes hanging up any time soon. The World Championships in Oregon is most definitely my next big target. It is close to home, I hope friends and family can come out and watch. I hope I get some crowd as well. That couldn’t happen in Tokyo but hopefully in Eugene I can get my friends and family to come and cheer me on.”

Karsten Warholm said he couldn't believe it only took him 45.94s to finish his 400m hurdles event. The timing helped him win the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Having already broken the world record with 46.70s in Oslo in the lead-up to the Olympics, Warholm exceeded all expectations in Tokyo. He said:

“I’m so happy for this. When I first saw the time in Tokyo, I was like, "This must be a mistake!" Because I didn’t see that one coming. And I didn’t see the victory coming before crossing the finish line. It was a very intense race. I always go out hard and I never know what is going on behind me. When I realized 45.94 was the reality, I was thinking: "This is not too bad. I’ll take it!’"

Mu reveals her dreams have come true

Athing Mu was named the Female Rising Star of the Year. The US teenager was undefeated in the 800m athletics event and also won the gold medal at the Olympics.

Athing Mu broke the senior US 800m athletics record with her triumph in Tokyo and then improved it to 1:55.04s just a few weeks later. She said:

“It means the world to know that my support goes beyond friends and families and extends worldwide. This award shows all young girls that your dreams can, indeed, come true."

Erriyon Knighton was named the Male Rising Star of the Year. The 17-year-old broke several athletics records that had previously belonged to Usain Bolt. Knighton set world records in the U-18 category (20.11s and 20.04s) in the 200m event. His rapid rise continued as he broke Usain Bolt’s world U-20 record for the distance with a time of 19.88s and 19.84s.

Knighton went on to finish fourth in the Olympic athletics final with 19.93s. He said:

“I’m really thankful for this award. One of my most memorable moments of this year was making it to the Olympic final in Tokyo and finishing fourth at the age of 17.”

Qatar's Mutaz Barshim and Italy's Gianmarco Tamberi displayed excellent sportsmanship at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. They shared the high jump gold medal between them. It became one of the biggest talking points in athletics of the Olympic Games. Tamberi said:

“It is just crazy if I think about this story. Thank you very much for this trophy. I now call Mutaz like five times a week because I need to speak with him. I feel that now we are not just friends, we are really like blood brothers.”

Qatar's Mutaz Barshim added:

“I hope to inspire more people to love our sport and maybe share a gold one day!”