Karsten Warholm and Elaine Thompson-Herah win World Athletics Athlete of the Year awards

Norway's Karsten Warholm and Jamaica's Elaine Thompson-Herah have been honoured for their incredible 2021 seasons with the top gongs at the World Athletics Awards 2021.

Warholm won the World Athletics Male Athlete of the Year Award for a season in which he broke the men's 400m hurdles world record twice en route to becoming the first man to run the race in under 46 seconds, achieving that feat in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic final.

Thompson-Herah, meanwhile, took the World Athletics Female Athlete of the Year Award. She had a year to remember in which she came close to breaking Florence Griffith Joyner's long-standing women's 100m world record. The Jamaican sprinter, who won three gold medals in Tokyo, set the second-fastest time ever recorded when she clocked 10.54 seconds at the Eugene Diamond League in August.

"We've pushed the limit very far, but I'm always up for a new challenge," Warholm responded when asked by World Athletics president Sebastian Coe if he could lower the world record even further, into the 44s.

For her part, Thompson-Herah rejected any ideas of retirement. "I think I have more," she said.

"Every year, I'll take it year by year. I was very close to the world record, so no hanging up the spikes any time soon."

Barshim and Tamberi share another award

High jumpers Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar and Italy's Gianmarco Tamberi, who made headlines around the world when they opted to share the gold medal at Tokyo 2020 in a spirit of friendship, were awarded the World Athletics Inspiration Award.

During the small ceremony, which was held largely virtually although attended in person in Monaco by Barshim, the pair reminisced about that moment in the Japanese capital, when Barshim asked a World Athletics official if they could share gold.

Also recognised were their fellow Tokyo Olympians Erriyon Knighton and Athing Mu of the USA.

Mu, the women's 800m Olympic champion, was recognised with the World Athletics Female Rising Star of the Year Award, while her compatriot Knighton – who is still only 17 – was given the Male Rising Star accolade to mark his fourth-place finish in the men's 200m final.

India's Anju Bobby George, her country's only World Championships medallist in athletics, was awarded the World Athletics Woman of the Year Award for her ongoing work with both the Athletics Federation of India as well as her own foundation, laying the pathway for the next generation.

Bobby Kersee, the coach of both Allyson Felix and Sydney McLaughlin, was presented with the World Athletics Coaching Achievement Award.

Full list of World Athletics Awards 2021 award winners

In order of awards being announced

World Athletics Inspiration Award: Mutaz Essa Barshim (QAT) & Gianmarco Tamberi (ITA)

World Athletics Member Federation Award: Costa Rica Athletics Federation

World Athletics Woman of the Year Award: Anju Bobby George (IND)

World Athletics Male Athlete of the Year Award: Karsten Warholm (NOR)

World Athletics Male Rising Star of the Year Award: Erriyon Knighton (USA)

World Athletics Female Rising Star of the Year Award: Athing Mu (USA)

World Athletics Coaching Achievement Award: Bobby Kersee (USA)

World Athletics Photograph of the Year Award: Ryan Pierse (AUS / Getty Images)

World Athletics President's Award: Peter Diamond (USA)

World Athletics Female Athlete of the Year Award: Elaine Thompson-Herah (JAM)