# 2003 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 2003.
The foremost competition of the year was the 2003 World Championships in Athletics, followed by the 2003 IAAF World Indoor Championships. At regional level, athletics was featured at two major games that were held that year: the 2003 Pan American Games and the 2003 All-Africa Games.

## Major events
### World

* World Championships in Athletics
* World Indoor Championships
* World Athletics Final
* World Cross Country Championships
* World Half Marathon Championships
* World Youth Championships
* World Student Games
* Military World Games
* Golden League
* World Outdoor Meetings
* World Marathon Majors

### Regional

* All-Africa Games
* African Junior Championships
* Asian Championships
* Asian Cross Country Championships
* Central Asian Games
* Indian Ocean Island Games
* Southeast Asian Games
* Central American and Caribbean Championships
* Pan American Games
* South American Athletics Championships
* South American Cross Country Championships
* Balkan Games
* European Cross Country Championships
* European Cup
* European Junior Championships
* European U23 Championships
* European Mountain Running Championships

## World records
### Men

| Event | Athlete | Nation | Performance | Meeting | Place | Date |
| 30 kilometres (road) | Takayuki Matsumiya | Japan | 1:28.36 | | Kumamoto, Japan | 16 February |
| Marathon | Paul Tergat | Kenya | 2:04:55 | | Berlin, Germany | 28 September |

### Women

| Event | Athlete | Nation | Performance | Place | Date |
| 10 kilometres (road) | Paula Radcliffe | United Kingdom | 30:21 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | 23 February |
| Marathon | Paula Radcliffe | United Kingdom | 2:15:25 | London, Great Britain | 13 April |
| 3000 m steeplechase | Gulnara Samitova-Galkina | Russia | 9:08.33 | Tula, Russia | 10 August |
| 400 m hurdles | Yuliya Pechonkina | Russia | 52.34 m | Tula, RUS | 8 August |
| Pole vault | Yelena Isinbayeva | Russia | 4.82 m | Gateshead, Great Britain | 13 July |

## Awards
### Men

| 2003 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 | Christian Olsson (SWE) |
| Best Male Track Athlete ESPY Award | Tim Montgomery (USA) |

### Women

| 2003 TRACK & FIELD AWARDS | WINNER |
| IAAF World Athlete of the Year | Hestrie Cloete (RSA) |
| Track & Field Athlete of the Year | Hestrie Cloete (RSA) |
| European Athlete of the Year Award | Carolina Klüft (SWE) |
| Best Female Track Athlete ESPY Award | Gail Devers (USA) |

## Men's best year performances
### 400m hurdles

| RANK | 2003 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
| 1. | Félix Sánchez (DOM) | 47.25 |
| 2. | Kemel Thompson (JAM) | 48.05 |
| 3. | Periklís Iakovákis (GRE) | 48.17 |
| 4. | Joey Woody (USA) | 48.18 |
| 5. | Bershawn Jackson (USA) | 48.23 |

### 3000m steeplechase

| RANK | 2003 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
| 1. | Saif Saeed Shaheen (QAT) | 7:57.38 |
| 2. | Paul Kipsiele Koech (KEN) | 7:57.42 |
| 3. | Ezekiel Kemboi (KEN) | 8:02.49 |
| 4. | Bouabdellah Tahri (FRA) | 8:06.91 |
| 5. | Kipkirui Misoi (KEN) | 8:07.74 |

### Pole vault

| RANK | 2003 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | HEIGHT |
| 1. | Romain Mesnil (FRA) | 5.95 m |
| 2. | Aleksandr Averbukh (ISR) | 5.93 m |
| 3. | Tim Lobinger (GER) | 5.91 m |
| 4. | Giuseppe Gibilisco (ITA) | 5.90 m |
| 5. | Oscar Janson (SWE) | 5.87 m |

### Decathlon
## Women's best year performances
### 100 metres

| RANK | 2003 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
| 1. | Chryste Gaines (USA) | 10.86 |
| 2. | Chandra Sturrup (BAH) | 10.89 |
| 3. | Torri Edwards (USA) | 10.93 |
| 4. | Debbie Ferguson (BAH) | 10.97 |
| 5. | Zhanna Block (UKR) | 10.99 |

### 200 metres

| RANK | 2003 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
| 1. | Allyson Felix (USA) | 22.11 |
| 2. | Torri Edwards (USA) | 22.28 |
| 3. | LaTasha Jenkins (USA) | 22.31 |
| 4. | Anastasiya Kapachinskaya (RUS) | 22.38 |
| 5. | Muriel Hurtis-Houairi (FRA) | 22.41 |

### Half marathon

| RANK | 2003 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
| 1. | Paula Radcliffe (GBR) | 1:05:39 |

### 100m hurdles

| RANK | 2003 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
| 1. | Gail Devers (USA) | 12.45 |
| 1. | Brigitte Foster-Hylton (JAM) | 12.45 |
| 3. | Miesha McKelvy (USA) | 12.51 |
| 4. | Perdita Felicien (CAN) | 12.53 |
| 5. | Donica Merriman (USA) | 12.65 |

### 400m hurdles

| RANK | 2003 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
| 1. | Yuliya Pechonkina (RUS) | 52.34 |
| 2. | Jana Rawlinson (AUS) | 53.22 |
| 3. | Sandra Glover (USA) | 53.34 |
| 4. | Andrea Blackett (BAR) | 53.71 |
| 5. | Ionela Târlea (ROM) | 53.87 |

### 3000m steeplechase

| RANK | 2003 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
| 1. | Gulnara Samitova-Galkina (RUS) | 9:08.33 |
| 2. | Alesya Turova (BLR) | 9:20.28 |
| 3. | Lyubov Ivanova (RUS) | 9:24.78 |
| 4. | Yekaterina Volkova (RUS) | 9:32.31 |
| 5. | Dorcus Inzikuru (UGA) | 9:39.51 |

### High jump

| RANK | 2003 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | HEIGHT |
| 1. | Kajsa Bergqvist (SWE) | 2.06 m |
| 1. | Hestrie Cloete (RSA) | 2.06 m |
| 3. | Marina Kuptsova (RUS) | 2.02 m |
| 4. | Inga Babakova (UKR) | 2.01 m |
| 4. | Viktoriya Palamar (UKR) | 2.01 m |
| 4. | Blanka Vlašić (CRO) | 2.01 m |
| 4. | Amy Acuff (USA) | 2.01 m |
| 4. | Venelina Veneva (BUL) | 2.01 m |

### Pole vault

| RANK | 2003 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | HEIGHT |
| 1. | Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS) | 4.82 m |
| 2. | Svetlana Feofanova (RUS) | 4.75 m |
| 3. | Yvonne Buschbaum (GER) | 4.70 m |
| 3. | Tatyana Polnova (RUS) | 4.70 m |
| 3. | Annika Becker (GER) | 4.70 m |

### Heptathlon

| RANK | 2003 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | POINTS |
| 1. | Carolina Klüft (SWE) | 7001 |
| 2. | Eunice Barber (FRA) | 6755 |
| 3. | Natalya Sazanovich (BLR) | 6524 |
| 4. | Yelena Prokhorova (RUS) | 6452 |
| 5. | Denise Lewis (GBR) | 6282 |

## Marathon
### Men's competition
#### Pan American Games

| ATHLETE | TIME |
| Vanderlei de Lima (BRA) | 2:19:08 |
| Bruce Deacon (CAN) | 2:20:25 |
| Diego Colorado (COL) | 2:21:48 |

#### Best year performances

| RANK | NAME ATHLETE | TIME | EVENT |
| 1. | Paul Tergat (KEN) | 2:04:55 WR | Berlin Marathon |
| 2. | Sammy Korir (KEN) | 2:04:56 | Berlin Marathon |
| 3. | Evans Rutto (KEN) | 2:05:50 | Chicago Marathon |
| 4. | Titus Munji (KEN) | 2:06:15 | Berlin Marathon |
| 5. | Michael Kosgei Rotich (KEN) | 2:06:33 | Paris Marathon |
| 6. | Benoît Zwierzchiewski (FRA) | 2:06:36 | Paris Marathon |
| 7. | William Kipsang (KEN) | 2:06:38 | Amsterdam Marathon |
| 8. | Felix Limo (KEN) | 2:06:42 | Amsterdam Marathon |
| 9. | Wilson Onsare (KEN) | 2:06:47 | Paris Marathon |
| 10. | Driss El Himer (FRA) | 2:06:48 | Paris Marathon |

### Women's competition
#### Pan American Games

| ATHLETE | TIME |
| Márcia Narloch (BRA) | 2:39:54 |
| Mariela González (CUB) | 2:42:55 |
| Érika Olivera (CHI) | 2:44:52 |

#### Best year performances

| RANK | NAME ATHLETE | TIME | EVENT |
| 1. | Paula Radcliffe (GBR) | 2:15:24 WR | London Marathon |
| 2. | Sun Yingjie (CHN) | 2:19:39 | Beijing Marathon |
| 3. | Catherine Ndereba (KEN) | 2:19:55 | London Marathon |
| 4. | Deena Kastor (USA) | 2:21:15 | London Marathon |
| 5. | Mizuki Noguchi (JPN) | 2:21:18 | Osaka International Ladies Marathon |
| 6. | Masako Chiba (JPN) | 2:21:45 | Osaka Marathon |
| 7. | Naoko Sakamoto (JPN) | 2:21:51 | Osaka Marathon |
| 8. | Lornah Kiplagat (KEN) | 2:22:22 | Osaka Marathon |
| 9. | Margaret Okayo (KEN) | 2:22:31 | New York Marathon |
| 10. | Catherine Ndereba (KEN) | 2:23:03 | New York Marathon |

## Deaths

* April 22 — Mike Larrabee, American athlete (b. 1933)
* April 25 — Samson Kitur (37), Kenyan middle-distance runner (b. 1966)
* April 28 — Juha Tiainen (47), Finnish hammer thrower (b. 1955)
* September 24 — Benson Masya (33), Kenyan long-distance runner (b. 1970)