# 1995 in the sport of athletics

This article contains an overview of the year 1995 in athletics.

## Major events
### World

* Grand Prix Final
* World Championships
* World Cross Country Championships
* World Half Marathon Championships
* World Indoor Championships
* World Race Walking Cup

### Regional

* All-Africa Games
* Asian Championships
* CARIFTA Games
* Central American and Caribbean Championships
* European Cross Country Championships
* European Junior Championships
* Pan American Games
* Pan American Junior Championships
* South American Championships
* South American Junior Championships

## World records
### Men

| Event | Athlete | Nation | Performance | Meeting | Place | Date |
| 1500 m | Noureddine Morceli | Algeria | 3:27.37 | | Nice, France | 12 July |
| 2,000 m | Noureddine Morceli | Algeria | 4:47.88 | | Paris, France | 3 July |
| 5,000 m | Moses Kiptanui | Kenya | 12:55.30 | | Rome, Italy | 8 June |
| 5,000 m | Haile Gebrselassie | Ethiopia | 12:44.39 | | Zürich, Switzerland | 16 August |
| 10,000 m | Haile Gebrselassie | Ethiopia | 26:43.53 | | Hengelo, Netherlands | 5 June |
| 3000 m steeplechase | Moses Kiptanui | Kenya | 7:59.18 | | Zürich, Switzerland | 16 August |
| Triple jump | Jonathan Edwards | United Kingdom | 17.98 m | | Salamanca, Spain | 18 July |
| Triple jump | Jonathan Edwards | United Kingdom | 18.16 m | World Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 7 August |
| Triple jump | Jonathan Edwards | United Kingdom | 18.29 m | World Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 7 August |

### Women

| Event | Athlete | Nation | Performance | Meeting | Place | Date |
| 1,000 m | Maria Mutola | Mozambique | 2:29.34 | | Brussels, Belgium | 5 August |
| 5,000 m | Fernanda Ribeiro | Portugal | 14:36.45 | | Hechtel, Belgium | 22 July |
| 400 m hurdles | Kim Batten | United States | 52.61 | World Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 11 August |
| Triple jump | Inessa Kravets | Ukraine | 15.50 m | World Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 10 August |
| Hammer throw | Olga Kuzenkova | Russia | 68.14 m | | Moscow, Russia | 5 June |
| Hammer throw | Olga Kuzenkova | Russia | 68.16 m | | Moscow, Russia | 18 June |

## Awards
### Men

| 1995 TRACK & FIELD AWARDS | ATHLETE |
| IAAF World Athlete of the Year | Jonathan Edwards (GBR) |
| Track & Field Athlete of the Year | Haile Gebrselassie (ETH) |
| European Athlete of the Year Award | Jonathan Edwards (GBR) |
| Best Male Track Athlete ESPY Award | Dennis Mitchell (USA) |

### Women

| 1995 TRACK & FIELD AWARDS | ATHLETE |
| IAAF World Athlete of the Year | Gwen Torrence (USA) |
| Track & Field Athlete of the Year | Sonia O'Sullivan (IRL) |
| European Athlete of the Year Award | Sonia O'Sullivan (IRL) |
| Best Female Track Athlete ESPY Award | Gwen Torrence (USA) |

## Season's bests

Best marks of the year :
| Event | Men | Men | Men | Women | Women | Women |
| Event | Athlete | Mark | Notes | Athlete | Mark | Notes |
| 100 metres | Donovan Bailey (CAN) | 9.91 | | Gwen Torrence (USA) | 10.84 | |
| 200 metres | Michael Johnson (USA) | 19.79 | | Gwen Torrence (USA) | 21.77 | |
| 400 metres | Michael Johnson (USA) | 43.39 | | Marie-José Pérec (FRA) | 49.28 | |
| 800 metres | Wilson Kipketer (DEN) | 1:42.87 | | Maria Mutola (MOZ) | 1:55.72 | |
| 1500 metres | Noureddine Morceli (ALG) | 3:27.37 | WR | Sonia O'Sullivan (IRL) | 3:58.85 | |
| 3000 metres | Moses Kiptanui (KEN) | 7:27.18 | | Sonia O'Sullivan (IRL) | 8:27.57 | |
| 5000 metres | Haile Gebrselassie (ETH) | 12:44.39 | WR | Fernanda Ribeiro (POR) | 14:36.45 | WR |
| 10,000 metres | Haile Gebrselassie (ETH) | 26:43.53 | WR | Fernanda Ribeiro (POR) | 31:04.99 | |
| 100/110 metres hurdles | Allen Johnson (USA) | 12.98 | | Olga Shishigina (KAZ) | 12.44 | |
| 400 metres hurdles | Stéphane Diagana (FRA) | 47.37 | | Kim Batten (USA) | 52.61 | WR |
| 3000 metres steeplechase | Moses Kiptanui (KEN) | 7:59.18 | WR | — | — | — |
| Pole vault | Okkert Brits (RSA) | 6.03 m | | Emma George (AUS) | 4.28 m | |
| High jump | Javier Sotomayor (CUB) | 2.40 m | | Inga Babakova (UKR) | 2.05 m | |
| Long jump | Iván Pedroso (CUB) | 8.71 m | | Heike Drechsler (GER) | 7.07 m | |
| Triple jump | Jonathan Edwards (GBR) | 18.29 m | WR | Inessa Kravets (UKR) | 15.50 m | WR |
| Shot put | John Godina (USA) | 22.00 m | | Astrid Kumbernuss (GER) | 21.22 m | |
| Discus throw | Lars Riedel (GER) | 69.08 m | | Mette Bergmann (NOR) | 69.68 m | |
| Javelin throw | Raymond Hecht (GER) | 92.60 m | | Natalya Shikolenko (BLR) | 71.18 m | |
| Hammer throw | Andrey Abduvaliyev (UZB) | 83.10 m | | Olga Kuzenkova (RUS) | 68.16 m | WR |
| Heptathlon | — | — | — | Ghada Shouaa (SYR) | 6715 pts | |
| Decathlon | Dan O'Brien (USA) | 8695 pts | | — | — | — |
| 4×100 metres relay | Canada Robert Esmie Glenroy Gilbert Bruny Surin Donovan Bailey | 38.16 | | United States Celena Mondie-Milner Carlette Guidry Chryste Gaines Gwen Torrence | 42.12 | |
| 4×400 metres relay | United States Marlon Ramsey Derek Mills Harry Reynolds Michael Johnson | 2:57.32 | | Russia Tatyana Chebykina Svetlana Goncharenko Tatyana Zakharova Yelena Andreyeva | 3:22.24 | |