Voting is now open for track and field fans to help select 2024’s top performances and performers with the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Female Athlete of the Year, Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year, and three Wing Awards presented by Greater Orlando Sports. USATF will present all awards at the 2024 Night of Legends on the evening of Saturday, December 7, as part of the USATF Annual Meeting.
Now in its 43rd year, the Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Jesse Owens Athlete of the Year Awards are the highest of USATF’s honors. The awards, which have been presented annually since 1981, recognize two of the most outstanding athletes of the year. Winners are chosen through a combination of fan and media votes.
Wing Awards up for grabs at the 2024 Night of Legends include the Breakthrough Performer, Inspirational Olympic Performance, and Most Dominant Performer awards. Winners will be chosen as a direct result of a fan vote.
Nominees are:
2024 Jackie Joyner-Kersee Athlete of the Year
Valarie Allman - undefeated in 11 discus competitions, Allman won the Olympic title in Paris and the Diamond League title in Brussels. She set an Olympic Trials record in Eugene and had the top 29 performances by an American this year. Her 70.89/232-7 in the Trials qualifying round was the third farthest throw ever by an American.
Tara Davis-Woodhall - gold medalist in the long jump at the Olympic Games and the World Indoor Championships, Davis-Woodhall was undefeated in 10 competitions. She won the USATF Indoor gold and also was victorious at the Olympic Trials. Her 7.18/23-6.75 at the USATF Indoor meet made her the fourth best U.S. performer ever.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone - defending her Olympic title in the 400m hurdles at Paris with a world record 50.37, McLaughlin-Levrone also helped the U.S. quartet to an American record in the 4x400 relay at the Games. She broke her own world record with a 50.65 to win the Olympic Trials and was undefeated in all individual events this year. McLaughlin-Levrone clocked 22.07 in the 200 and 48.75 in the 400, the third-fastest time ever by an American.
Masai Russell - winner of the Olympic gold in Paris, Russell became the second-fastest American ever with a 12.25 that gave her the Olympic Trials title in Eugene. She was fourth in the 60m hurdles at the World Indoor Championships.
Gabby Thomas - a triple gold medalist at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Thomas earned individual glory in the 200 with a 21.83 that gave her a quarter-second margin of victory. She came back to help the U.S. to gold in the 4x100 relay and 4x400 relay, handling third-leg duties on each. Thomas won the Olympic Trials and set a world-leading mark of 21.78 in the semifinal.
2024 Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year
Rai Benjamin - dominant in the 400m hurdles at the Olympic Games, Benjamin romped home to gold in 46.46 to equal the third-fastest time ever by an American and the No. 5 all-time world performance. He anchored the U.S. men to victory in the 4x400 relay in 2:54.43, an Olympic record and the second-fastest time ever. Benjamin won the Olympic Trials in 46.46 and was undefeated on the season.
Ryan Crouser - winning a record third straight Olympic title in the shot put, Crouser added titles at the World Indoor Championships, Olympic Trials, and USATF Indoor Championships. At the USATF Indoor meet he set a meet record with his 22.80/74-9.75 heave.
Quincy Hall - a dramatic sprint down the stretch gave Hall the Olympic 400 gold in Paris, and his 43.40 made him the No. 3 all-time U.S. performer and No. 4 on the world all-time list. He won the Olympic Trials in 44.17 and had Diamond League wins at Stockholm and Monaco.
Cole Hocker - upsetting the form charts with a thrilling dash over the final 100 of the 1500 in Paris, Hocker took gold in 3:27.65, just off the American record and good for No. 7 on the all-time world performer list. He also earned gold at the Olympic Trials and was the silver medalist at the World Indoor Championships.
Grant Holloway - grabbing Olympic gold after winning three World Championships titles in the 110m hurdles, Holloway zipped to a 12.99 in Paris that was his fifth of six sub-13 second clockings on the year. He won the Olympic Trials in 12.86, the No. 4 all-time U.S. and world performance, and won the World Indoor Championships 60m hurdles gold after setting a world record 7.27 in the semifinal at the USATF Indoor Championships.
Noah Lyles - adding Olympic gold in the 100 to the World Championships title he won last year, Lyles set a personal best of 9.79 in Paris and became the No. 6 all-time U.S. performer. He won the Olympic Trials 100 in 9.83 and added the 200 title in 19.53. At the World Indoor Championships, Lyles took silver in the 60, and he won the USATF Indoor Championships in 6.43, a lifetime best. He helped the U.S. to gold in the 4x100 at the World Athletics Relays, and was a silver medalist in the 4x400 relay at the World Indoor Championships.
Wing Award - 2024 Breakthrough Performer
Anna Cockrell - Cockrell shattered her lifetime best with a 51.87 to earn silver in the 400m hurdles at the Olympic Games. That effort made her the No. 3 American and No. 4 world all-time performer. She was also the runner-up at the Olympic Trials and Diamond League final.
Annette Echikunwoke - Echikunwoke became the first American medalist ever in the women's hammer at the Olympic Games, earning silver with a 75.48/247-8 throw that moved her to No. 6 on the all-time U.S. performer list. She was also the Olympic Trials champion.
Jasmine Moore - A pair of bronze medals at Paris made Moore the first American woman to earn medals in the long jump and triple jump at a single Olympic Games. Her triple jump medal was also the first ever at the Games for an American in the event. Moore was the Olympic Trials triple jump champion and runner-up in the long jump.
Kenneth Rooks - Rooks earned silver in the men's 3000 steeplechase at Paris with a huge lifetime best of 8:06.41. That made him the No. 2 all-time American performer and chopped almost nine seconds off his previous best. Rooks also won the Olympic Trials title.
Masai Russell - Russell upset national favorite Cyrena Samba-Mayela of France and reigning Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico with a 12.33 for gold in the women's 100m hurdles at Paris.
Wing Award - 2024 Inspirational Olympic Performance
Annette Echikunwoke - Olympic Trials champion Echikunwoke unleashed a 75.48/247-8 in the third round at Paris to take silver and become the first American woman to earn a medal in the hammer at the Olympic Games.
Grant Fisher - Fisher ran a pair of spirited races to earn bronze in the men's 5000 and 10,000 at Paris, becoming the first American man to medal in both distance events at a single Games. His 26:43.46 in the 10,000 was the second-fastest U.S. performance ever.
Quincy Hall - In fourth place coming off the final turn in the men's 400, Hall dug deep and made up almost a half-second on leader Matthew Hudson-Smith of Great Britain in the closing stages to take gold in 43.40, moving to third on the all-time U.S. performer list.
Cole Hocker - A 53.3 last lap and a 13.0 final 100 gave Hocker a historic victory in the men's 1500, stopping the clock in an Olympic record of 3:27.65. Fifth at the bell, Hocker steadily moved through the lead pack and went from third to first in the homestretch for the win.
Jasmine Moore - Doing what no American woman had ever done before at a single Olympic Games, Moore earned bronze medals in the long jump and triple jump. She was also the first American medalist ever in the triple jump.
Kenneth Rooks - In the back half of the pack in the men's 3000 steeplechase with 600 to go, Rooks started moving up and he took the lead with 300 to go. He held on to earn silver in 8:06.41.
Wing Award - 2024 Most Dominant Performer
Valarie Allman - Olympic Games, Olympic Trials, and Diamond League champion in the women's discus, Allman was undefeated in 11 outings and recorded the third- and fourth-farthest throws ever by an American.
Tara Davis-Woodhall - Winner of the Olympic Games, World Indoor Championships, Olympic Trials, and USATF Indoor Championships, Davis-Woodhall was undefeated in 10 long jump competitions.
Grant Holloway - Olympic men's 110m hurdles champion and World Indoor Championships 60H gold medalist, Holloway set a world record in the 60H with a 7.27 at the USATF Indoor Championships, and he had six sub-13 second clockings in the 110H.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone - Breaking her own world record in the women's 400m hurdles at the Olympic Trials and Olympic Games, McLaughlin-Levrone also took gold in the 4x400 relay at Paris and helped set an American record. She had the third-fastest 400 time ever by an American with a 48.75.
Fans can click here to place their vote now through November 11, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. ET.