# 2002 in the sport of athletics

This article contains an overview of the sport of athletics, including track and field, cross country and road running, in the year 2002.
There was no primary championships that season, although continental championships were held in Africa, Asia and Europe. The foremost athletics competitions at games events occurred at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, the 2002 Asian Games and the 2002 CAC Games. The 2002 IAAF World Cup was the major global outdoor track and field event.
Paula Radcliffe was among the season's top performers, having set world records at the London and Chicago Marathons, as well becoming European and Commonwealth champion on the track.

## Major events
### World

* World Cross Country Championships
* IAAF World Cup
* World Half Marathon Championships
* World Race Walking Cup
* World Junior Championships in Athletics
* Grand Prix Final
* IAAF Golden League
* World Marathon Majors
* Commonwealth Games

### Regional

* African Championships
* Asian Championships
* Asian Junior Championships
* Asian Games
* Balkan Games
* Central American and Caribbean Games
* European Athletics Championships
* European Cross Country Championships
* European Mountain Running Championships
* European Cup
* Ibero-American Championships
* Micronesian Games
* Oceania Athletics Championships
* Oceania Cross Country Championships
* South American Games
* South American U23 Championships
* South American Cross Country Championships
* West Asian Games

### National

* 2002 Lithuanian Athletics Championships

## World records
### Women

| Event | Athlete | Nation | Performance | Place | Date |
| 3000 m steeplechase | Justyna Bak | Poland | 9:22.29 | Milan, Italy | 5 June |
| 3000 m steeplechase | Alesya Turova | Belarus | 9:21.72 | Ostrava, Czech Republic | 12 June |
| 3000 m steeplechase | Alesya Turova | Belarus | 9:16.51 | Gdańsk, Poland | 27 July |

## Awards
### Men

| 2002 TRACK & FIELD AWARDS | WINNER |
| IAAF World Athlete of the Year | Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR) |
| Track & Field Athlete of the Year | Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR) |
| European Athlete of the Year Award | Dwain Chambers (GBR) |
| Best Male Track Athlete ESPY Award | Maurice Greene (USA) |

### Women

| 2002 TRACK & FIELD AWARDS | WINNER |
| IAAF World Athlete of the Year | Paula Radcliffe (GBR) |
| Track & Field Athlete of the Year | Paula Radcliffe (GBR) |
| European Athlete of the Year Award | Süreyya Ayhan (TUR) |
| Best Female Track Athlete ESPY Award | Marion Jones (USA) |

## Men's Best Year Performances
### 400m Hurdles

| RANK | 2002 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
| 1. | Félix Sánchez (DOM) | 47.35 |
| 2. | James Carter (USA) | 47.57 |
| 3. | Stéphane Diagana (FRA) | 47.58 |
| 4. | Llewellyn Herbert (RSA) | 48.02 |
| 5. | Hadi Soua'an Al-Somaily (KSA) | 48.11 |

### 3,000m Steeplechase

| RANK | 2002 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
| 1. | Brahim Boulami (MAR) | 7:58.09 |
| 2. | Stephen Cherono (KEN) | 7:58.10 |
| 3. | Wilson Boit Kipketer (KEN) | 8:00.56 |
| 4. | Paul Kipsiele Koech (KEN) | 8:05.44 |
| 5. | Reuben Kosgei (KEN) | 8:05.87 |

### Pole Vault

| RANK | 2002 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | HEIGHT |
| 1. | Jeff Hartwig (USA) | 5.90 m |
| 1. | Tim Lobinger (GER) | 5.90 m |
| 3. | Lars Börgeling (GER) | 5.85 m |
| 3. | Aleksandr Averbukh (ISR) | 5.85 m |
| 3. | Patrik Kristiansson (SWE) | 5.85 m |

### Decathlon
## Women's Best Year Performances
### 100 metres

| RANK | 2002 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
| 1. | Zhanna Block (UKR) | 10.83 |
| 2. | Debbie Ferguson (BAH) | 10.91 |
| 3. | Tayna Lawrence (JAM) | 10.93 |
| 4. | Chryste Gaines (USA) | 10.94 |
| 5. | Muriel Hurtis-Houairi (FRA) | 10.96 |

### 200 metres

| RANK | 2002 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
| 1. | Debbie Ferguson (BAH) | 22.20 |
| 2. | Zhanna Block (UKR) | 22.24 |
| 3. | Veronica Campbell (JAM) | 22.39 |
| 4. | Muriel Hurtis-Houairi (FRA) | 22.43 |
| 5. | Stephanie Durst (USA) | 22.48 |

### Half Marathon

| RANK | 2002 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
| 1. | Sonia O'Sullivan (IRL) | 1:07:19 |

### 100m Hurdles

| RANK | 2002 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
| 1. | Gail Devers (USA) | 12.40 |
| 2. | Brigitte Foster-Hylton (JAM) | 12.49 |
| 3. | Miesha McKelvy (USA) | 12.60 |
| 3. | Glory Alozie (ESP) | 12.60 |
| 5. | Anjanette Kirkland (USA) | 12.62 |

### 400m Hurdles

| RANK | 2002 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
| 1. | Yuliya Pechonkina (RUS) | 53.10 |
| 2. | Jana Rawlinson (AUS) | 54.14 |
| 3. | Tetyana Tereshchuk-Antipova (UKR) | 54.28 |
| 4. | Sandra Glover (USA) | 54.40 |
| 5. | Surita Febbraio (RSA) | 54.45 |

### 3,000m Steeplechase

| RANK | 2002 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
| 1. | Alesya Turova (BLR) | 9:16.51 |
| 2. | Justyna Bak (POL) | 9:22.29 |
| 3. | Élodie Olivarès (FRA) | 9:33.12 |
| 4. | Cristina Casandra (ROM) | 9:33.16 |
| 5. | Melanie Schulz (GER) | 9:38.31 |

### High Jump

| RANK | 2002 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | HEIGHT |
| 1. | Kajsa Bergqvist (SWE) | 2.05 m |
| 2. | Hestrie Cloete (RSA) | 2.02 m |
| 3. | Iryna Mykhalchenko (UKR) | 2.00 m |
| 3. | Viktoria Seryogina (RUS) | 2.00 m |
| 3. | Marina Kuptsova (RUS) | 2.00 m |

### Pole Vault

| RANK | 2002 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | HEIGHT |
| 1. | Svetlana Feofanova (RUS) | 4.78 m |
| 2. | Annika Becker (GER) | 4.77 m |
| 3. | Stacy Dragila (USA) | 4.72 m |
| 4. | Mary Vincent (USA) | 4.65 m |
| 5. | Yvonne Buschbaum (GER) | 4.65 m |

### Heptathlon

| RANK | 2002 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | POINTS |
| 1. | Carolina Klüft (SWE) | 6542 |
| 2. | Sabine Braun (GER) | 6434 |
| 3. | Shelia Burrell (USA) | 6363 |
| 4. | Natalya Sazanovich (BLR) | 6341 |
| 5. | Austra Skujyté (LTU) | 6275 |

## Marathon
### Men's competition
#### Commonwealth Games

| RANK | ATHLETE | TIME |
| | Francis Naali (TAN) | 2:11:58 |
| | Joshua Chelanga (KEN) | 2:12:44 |
| | Andrew Letherby (AUS) | 2:13:23 |
| 4. | Erick Wainaina (KEN) | 2:13:27 |
| 5. | Luketz Swartbooi (NAM) | 2:13:40 |
| 6. | Jonathan Wyatt (NZL) | 2:14:20 |
| 7. | Lee Troop (AUS) | 2:16:44 |
| 8. | Josiah Bembe (RSA) | 2:18:16 |
| 9. | Shaun Creighton (AUS) | 2:18:19 |
| 10. | Dominic Bannister (ENG) | 2:19:31 |

#### Best Year Performances
### Women's competition
#### Commonwealth Games

| RANK | ATHLETE | TIME |
| | Kerryn McCann (AUS) | 2:30:05 |
| | Krishna Stanton (AUS) | 2:34:52 |
| | Jackie Gallagher (AUS) | 2:36:37 |
| 4. | Debbie Robinson (ENG) | 2:39:42 |
| 5. | Teresa McCluskey (NIR) | 2:40:29 |
| 6. | Bev Hartigan (ENG) | 2:41:27 |
| 7. | Carol Galea (MLT) | 2:45:48 |
| 8. | Marian Sutton (ENG) | 2:45:55 |
| 9. | Beata Naigambo (NAM) | 2:47:22 |
| 10. | Elizabeth Mongudhi (NAM) | 2:49:19 |

#### Best Year Performances
## Deaths

* March 7 — Franziska Rochat-Moser (35), Swiss long-distance runner
* March 22 — Marcel Hansenne (85), French middle-distance runner
* March 27 — Tadeusz Rut (70), Polish hammer thrower
* May 26 — Mamo Wolde (69), Ethiopian runner
* June 17 — Willie Davenport (59), American hurdler
* June 20 — Tinus Osendarp (86), Dutch athlete
* August 1 — Theo Bruce (79), Australian long jumper
* August 12 — Knud Lundberg (82), Danish multi-talented sportsman
* August 31 — Joe McCluskey (91), American athlete
* September 18 — Bob Hayes (59), American sprinter and American football player
* November 15 — Sohn Kee-Chung (90), Korean marathoner
* November 18 — Kim Gallagher (38), American athlete