2024 in review — Duplantis soars, Neeraj shines: Athletics powerhouses stand out again
2024 in review — Duplantis soars, Neeraj shines: Athletics powerhouses stand out again
The defining image of athletics in 2024 must surely be Armand Duplantis repeatedly breaking his pole vault world record.
The Swedish athlete dominated the spotlight in an Olympic year that saw a series of world records shattered.
Duplantis’ first record-breaking vault came in April at the Xiamen Diamond League meet, where he cleared 6.24 meters.
At the Paris Olympics, he clinched the gold with an Olympic-record leap of 6.10m, celebrating with a pose inspired by Yusuf Dikec, the Turkish shooter known for his nonchalant stance earlier in the Games.
Duplantis then raised the stakes, improving his world record by a centimetre, to 6.25m, in front of an ecstatic Parisian crowd.
With his victories in Paris, the 25-year-old became the second man to win two Olympic gold medals in pole vault, following in the footsteps of America’s Bob Richards (1952 and 1956).
But Duplantis wasn’t finished. Just 20 days after his Paris triumph, he set a new world record of 6.26m at the Silesia Diamond League meeting.
Duplantis’ 2024 achievements weren’t confined to the pole vault mat. In an exhibition race in Zurich in September, he outpaced 400m hurdler Karsten Warholm over 100 meters, clocking a personal best time of 10.37 seconds.
The athletics showdown at the Paris Olympics, held at the Stade de France, lived up to expectations as records tumbled amidst high-quality action.
In the men’s 100m race, the USA’s Noah Lyles claimed gold in a thrilling photo finish, edging out Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson by just five-thousandths of a second.
Saint Lucia secured its first-ever Olympic medal through Julian Alfred, who raced to gold in the women’s 100m event.
The USA’s Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone successfully defended her 400m hurdles Olympic title, shattering her own world record with a time of 50.37 seconds.
Belgium’s Nafissatou Thiam achieved a rare hat-trick, becoming the first woman to clinch three consecutive Olympic heptathlon crowns.
Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon also completed a historic triple, becoming the first woman to secure three successive Olympic gold medals in the 1,500m.
The athletics events of the Paris Games concluded on a high note as the Netherlands’ Sifan Hassan won the women’s marathon, becoming the first athlete since Emil Zatopek to win medals in the 5,000m, 10,000m, and marathon in a single Olympics.
The USA finished the Paris Games as the most successful nation in athletics, with 34 medals, including 14 gold. Kenya took second place with 11 medals, four of which were gold, bolstered by its dominance in long-distance races.
Among individual athletes, the USA’s Gabrielle Thomas earned the most silverware, claiming three gold medals in the women’s 200m, 4x100m relay, and 4x400m relay.
From an Indian perspective, the year’s highlight was the Paris Olympics javelin throw final, with the country’s hopes for a gold medal resting on the shoulders of reigning champion Neeraj Chopra.
However, Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem emerged as the dark horse, setting a competition record twice on his way to a historic first-ever individual Olympic gold medal for Pakistan, while Neeraj settled for silver. Neeraj’s second consecutive Olympic medal wasn’t enough to overshadow the underwhelming performance of the rest of the Indian athletics contingent. Only one other athlete, Avinash Sable in the men’s 3,000m steeplechase, reached a final, as India endured a frustrating campaign at the Stade de France.
Outside the Olympics, long-distance runner Gulveer Singh became the talk of the town in Indian athletics.
The 26-year-old began 2024 by shattering a 16-year-old Indian national record in the men’s 10,000m, finishing second in his heat at The Ten in San Juan Capistrano, California. Gulveer then broke his own national record in the men’s 5,000m, clocking 13:11.82 to win gold at the World Athletics Continental Tour in Niigata, Japan.
The Uttar Pradesh native capped off the year by improving his 10,000m record again, posting 27:14.88 to win gold at the Hachioji Long Distance 2024 athletics meet in Japan.
The pattern of near-misses continued for Neeraj beyond the Olympics, with the 27-year-old finishing second in three Diamond League events — first in Doha, then in Lausanne, followed by the final in Brussels.
He ended an injury-hindered year by changing coaches, opting to train under triple Olympic champion Jan Zelezny.
The World Athletics Championship, scheduled to take place in Tokyo in September, is the event to watch out for. With no other major events on the calendar, it is nearly certain that the cream of world athletics will make its presence felt in Tokyo.
Closer on the calendar is the World Indoor Championship, slated for March in Nanjing, China. The Asian nation will also host the World Athletics Relays in May, in Guangzhou.
Additionally, 2025 will feature 15 Diamond League meets, starting with Xiamen on April 26. The league will conclude with the final in Zurich in August.
India’s hopes in these global events will continue to rest heavily on Neeraj, who will rely on a prolonged recovery period as he continues his hunt for the elusive 90m mark.
For a better test of their capabilities, Indian athletes will focus on the Asian Athletics Championships, set to be hosted by South Korea from May 27 to 31.
On the domestic front, Chennai is set to host the National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships in August, while the National Federation Senior Athletics Championships will take place in Kochi in April.
With a timing of 10.27 seconds, Animesh Kujur was the fastest Indian in the men’s 100 metres in 2024. Animesh’s personal best effort came in Spain in June. He missed the national record by just 0.04 seconds.
The 21-year-old, hailing from Odisha, also came close to claiming the national record in the 200 metres last year. At the Federation Cup in Bhubaneswar, he crossed the line in 20.62 seconds (another PB), narrowly missing out on Amlan Borgohain’s national mark.
In 2025, Animesh will aim to break both records and make a global impression.
