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Top performances have been witnessed from a number of female runners this year and it seems some have come of age after hitting 24. So, what makes this age so special?
The year 2024 has witnessed some great performances from track and field athletes and as the year closes, it seems 24 is the magic number.
This is down to the large number of 24-year-old track stars who had an outstanding campaign, some emerging on the scene, while others were already household names.
Winfred Yavi
The Kenyan-born Bahraini ended the season on a sour note after losing the 3,000m steeplechase Diamond League title to Kenya’s Faith Cherotich but it was a successful campaign nonetheless.
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14:00 - 18.09.2024
‘We achieved the ultimate prize’ – Winfred Yavi picks positives from roller-coaster season
World and Olympics champion Winfred Yavi has expressed her delight at what she has managed to achieve in 2024 while revealing the biggest lesson she learnt from the season.
Yavi, who will celebrate her 25th birthday in December, won an Olympics gold in Paris in a new Olympics record time of 8:52.76, before she came 0.07 seconds of the world record, to win the Rome Diamond League in 8:44.39 in August.
Beatrice Chebet
Beatrice Chebet celebrated her 24th birthday in March and went on to have a great season that yielded two Olympics gold in 5,000m and 10,000m as well as a world record in the latter.
She crowned her season with a Diamond League title in August, having started by defending her World Cross-Country crown in March, when she was just turning 24.
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11:34 - 21.10.2024
Faith Kipyegon, Letsile Tebogo & Noah Lyles make the list of World Athletics Track Athlete of the Year 2024 nominees
World Athletics has announced the nominees for the 2024 Women’s and Men’s Track Athlete of the Year, with six finalists in each category, and voting is open until October 27.
Mary Moraa
Kenya’s 800m queen Mary Moraa did not manage to win Olympics gold, claiming bronze, but still had a great season that included a Diamond League title as well as second place at the money-spinning Athlos NYC.
Moraa also broke the 600m world record in Berlin in September, coming after turning 24 in June, even though she was already a household name by then.
Sha’Carri Richardson
American sprint queen Sha’Carri Richardson may have failed to win Olympics gold in 100m, where she managed silver, but still had a good season as she ended the Paris Games with 4x100m relay gold.
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13:28 - 01.10.2024
'She is my real best friend'- Mary Moraa opens up on special bond she shares with Sha'Carri Richardson
Mary Moraa opened up about her close friendship with Sha’Carri Richardson, which began in 2022 and has grown as they continue to support each other in competitions like the Diamond League Meetings.
Richardson, who grabbed global headlines with gold at the 2023 World Championships, turned 24 in March and followed it up with second and third place finishes in 200m in the Diamond League meetings in April before flooring her rivals in 100m at Prefontaine Classic in May.
She got her revenge on Olympics champion Julien Alfred in Zurich but the St Lucian had the last laugh at the season finale in Brussels where the American finished eighth in 100m before pulling out of 200m.
Masai Russell
Olympics 100m hurdles champion Masai Russell seems to have hit the prime age of 24 just in time for a season-defining moment.
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10:28 - 22.10.2024
'He's such a relentless coach' - Masai Russell credits Olympics success to her strict trainer
The pair have worked for six years, and the Paris glory is a sign of the remarkable transformation
Russell celebrated her 24th birthday in mid-June before she went on to win the US Olympics trials later that month and she put the icing on the cake by flooring seasoned runners to claim gold at the Paris Games.
Success on the Diamond League circuit proved elusive but the incredible performance at the Olympics turned her into a global superstar, earning her invitations to the lucrative Athlos NYC and the soon-to-start Grand Slam Track League.
Research puts peak years for track and field stars between 24 and 27 and given what has been experienced already from these amazing athletes, fans can expect a lot more in a couple of years.
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07:00 - 19.10.2024
Dancing track queen Mary Moraa returns to inspire future champions at her former school
World 800m champion Mary Moraa visited her former high school inspiring students with her incredible athletic journey.
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