# 1999 in the sport of athletics

This page shows the main events during the 1999 year in the sport of athletics throughout the world.

## International Events

* All-Africa Games
* Balkan Games
* Central American and Caribbean Championships
* Pan American Games
* Pan Arab Games
* South American Championships
* World Championships
* World Cross Country Championships
* World Indoor Championships
* World Student Games

## World records
### Men

| Event | Athlete | Nation | Performance | Place | Date |
| 100 metres | Maurice Greene | United States | 9.79 | Athens, Greece | 16 June |
| 400 metres | Michael Johnson | United States | 43.18 | Seville, Spain | 26 August |
| 1000 metres | Noah Ngeny | Kenya | 2:11.96 | Rieti, Italy | 5 September |
| Mile | Hicham El Guerrouj | Morocco | 3:43.13 | Rome, Italy | 7 July |
| 2,000 metres | Hicham El Guerrouj | Morocco | 4:44.79 | Berlin, Germany | 7 September |
| Decathlon | Tomáš Dvořák | Czech Republic | 8,994 | Prague, Czech republic | 3-4 July |

### Women

| Event | Athlete | Nation | Performance | Place | Date |
| 3000 m steeplechase | Yelena Motalova | Russia | 9:48.88 | Tula, Russia | 31 July |
| Pole vault | Emma George | Australia | 4.60 m | Sydney, AUS | 20 February |
| Pole vault | Stacy Dragila | United States | 4.60 m | Seville, Spain | 21 August |

## Awards
### Men

| 1999 TRACK & FIELD AWARDS | ATHLETE |
| IAAF World Athlete of the Year | Michael Johnson (USA) |
| Track & Field Athlete of the Year | Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR) |
| European Athlete of the Year Award | Tomáš Dvořák (CZE) |
| Best Male Track Athlete ESPY Award | Maurice Greene (USA) |

### Women

| 1999 TRACK & FIELD AWARDS | ATHLETE |
| IAAF World Athlete of the Year | Gabriela Szabo (ROM) |
| Track & Field Athlete of the Year | Gabriela Szabo (ROM) |
| European Athlete of the Year Award | Gabriela Szabo (ROM) |
| Best Female Track Athlete ESPY Award | Marion Jones (USA) |

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

| RANK | 1999 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
| 1. | Fabrizio Mori (ITA) | 47.72 |
| 2. | Llewellyn Herbert (RSA) | 47.83 |
| 3. | Samuel Matete (ZAM) | 47.91 |
| 4. | Stéphane Diagana (FRA) | 48.12 |
| 5. | Marcel Schelbert (SUI) | 48.13 |
| 5. | Eronilde de Araújo (BRA) | 48.13 |

### 3,000m steeplechase

| RANK | 1999 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
| 1. | Bernard Barmasai (KEN) | 7:58.98 |
| 2. | Christopher Kosgei (KEN) | 8:05.43 |
| 3. | Ali Ezzine (MAR) | 8:06.70 |
| 4. | Wilson Boit Kipketer (KEN) | 8:07.10 |
| 5. | Paul Kosgei (KEN) | 8:07.13 |

### Pole vault

| RANK | 1999 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | HEIGHT |
| 1. | Maksim Tarasov (RUS) | 6.05 m |
| 2. | Jeff Hartwig (USA) | 6.02 m |
| 3. | Tim Lobinger (GER) | 6.00 m |
| 4. | Jean Galfione (FRA) | 5.98 m |
| 5. | Dmitriy Markov (AUS) | 5.95 m |

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

| RANK | 1999 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
| 1. | Ekateríni Thánou (GRE) | 6.96 |
| 2. | Gail Devers (USA) | 6.98 |
| 3. | Merlene Ottey (JAM) | 7.01 |
| 4. | Savatheda Fynes (BAH) | 7.01 |
| 5. | Philomena Mensah (CAN) | 7.02 |

### 100 metres

| RANK | 1999 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
| 1. | Marion Jones (USA) | 10.70 |
| 2. | Inger Miller (USA) | 10.79 |
| 3. | Ekateríni Thánou (GRE) | 10.83 |
| 4. | Glory Alozie (NGR) | 10.90 |
| 5. | Savatheda Fynes (BAH) | 10.91 |

### 200 metres

| RANK | 1999 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
| 1. | Inger Miller (USA) | 21.77 |
| 2. | Marion Jones (USA) | 21.81 |
| 3. | Merlene Frazer (JAM) | 22.18 |
| 4. | Debbie Ferguson (BAH) | 22.19 |
| 5. | Beverly McDonald (JAM) | 22.22 |

### Half marathon

| RANK | 1999 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
| 1. | Elana Meyer (RSA) | 1:06:44 |

### 60 metres

| RANK | 1999 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
| 1. | Brigita Bukovec (SVN) | 7.78 |
| 2. | Glory Alozie (NGR) | 7,82 |
| 3. | Olga Shishigina (KAZ) | 7.82 |
| 4. | Melissa Morrison (USA) | 7.85 |
| 5. | Katie Anderson (CAN) | 7.90 |

### 100m hurdles

| RANK | 1999 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
| 1. | Gail Devers (USA) | 12.37 |
| 2. | Glory Alozie (NGR) | 12.44 |
| 3. | Olga Shishigina (KAZ) | 12.47 |
| — | Ludmila Engquist (SWE) | 12.47 |
| 5. | Katie Anderson (CAN) | 12.61 |

### 400m hurdles

| RANK | 1999 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
| 1. | Daimí Pernía (CUB) | 52.89 |
| 2. | Nezha Bidouane (MAR) | 52.90 |
| 3. | Deon Hemmings (JAM) | 53.16 |
| 4. | Ionela Târlea (ROM) | 53.25 |
| 5. | Andrea Blackett (BAR) | 53.36 |

### 3,000m steeplechase

| RANK | 1999 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
| 1. | Yelena Motalova (RUS) | 9:48.88 |
| 2. | Laurence Duquénoy (FRA) | 9:55.69 |
| 3. | Daniela Petrescu (ROM) | 9:58.44 |
| 4. | Justyna Bąk (POL) | 9:58.77 |
| 5. | Alina Cucerzan (ROM) | 10:03.68 |

### High jump

| RANK | 1999 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | HEIGHT |
| 1. | Hestrie Cloete (RSA) | 2.04 m |
| 2. | Monica Iagăr (ROM) | 2.01 m |
| 2. | Yelena Yelesina (RUS) | 2.01 m |
| 2. | Inga Babakova (UKR) | 2.01 m |
| 5. | Tisha Waller (USA) | 2.00 m |

### Shot put

| RANK | 1999 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | DISTANCE |
| 1. | Svetlana Krivelyova (RUS) | 20.26 m |
| 2. | Yelena Ivanenko (BLR) | 19.13 m |
| 3. | Yuliya Zaginay (RUS) | 19.06 m |
| 4. | Tressa Thompson (USA) | 18.88 m |

### Pole vault

| RANK | 1999 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | HEIGHT |
| 1. | Emma George (AUS) | 4.60 m |
| 1. | Stacy Dragila (USA) | 4.60 m |
| 3. | Anzhela Balakhonova (UKR) | 4.55 m |
| 4. | Tatiana Grigorieva (AUS) | 4.50 m |
| 5. | Yelena Belyakova (RUS) | 4.46 m |

### Heptathlon

| RANK | 1999 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | POINTS |
| 1. | Eunice Barber (FRA) | 6861 |
| 2. | Denise Lewis (GBR) | 6724 |
| 3. | DeDee Nathan (USA) | 6577 |
| 4. | Ghada Shouaa (SYR) | 6500 |
| 5. | Sabine Braun (GER) | 6497 |

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

| ATHLETE | TIME |
| Vanderlei de Lima (BRA) | 2:17:20 |
| Raúl Maza (VEN) | 2:19:56 |
| Éder Fialho (BRA) | 2:20:09 |

#### Best Year Performances

| RANK | NAME ATHLETE | TIME | EVENT |
| 1. | Khalid Khannouchi (MAR) | 2:05:42 | Chicago Marathon |
| 2. | Moses Tanui (KEN) | 2:06:16 | Chicago Marathon |
| 3. | Gert Thys (RSA) | 2:06:33 | Tokyo Marathon |
| 4. | Josephat Kiprono (KEN) | 2:06:44 | Berlin Marathon |
| 5. | Fred Kiprop (KEN) | 2:06:46 | Amsterdam Marathon |
| 6. | Tesfaye Jifar (ETH) | 2:06:48 | Amsterdam Marathon |
| 7. | William Kiplagat (KEN) | 2:06:49 | Amsterdam Marathon |
| 8. | Tesfaye Tola (ETH) | 2:06:56 | Amsterdam Marathon |
| 9. | Takayuki Inubushi (JPN) | 2:06:57 | Berlin Marathon |
| 10. | Japhet Kosgei (KEN) | 2:07:09 | Rotterdam Marathon |

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

| ATHLETE | TIME |
| Érika Olivera (CHI) | 2:37:41 |
| Iglandini González (COL) | 2:40:06 |
| Viviany Anderson (BRA) | 2:40:55 |

#### Best Year Performances

| RANK | NAME ATHLETE | TIME | EVENT |
| 1. | Tegla Loroupe (KEN) | 2:20:43 | Berlin Marathon |
| 2. | Eri Yamaguchi (JPN) | 2:22:12 | Tokyo Marathon |
| 3. | Tegla Loroupe (KEN) | 2:22:48 | Rotterdam Marathon |
| 4. | Joyce Chepchumba (KEN) | 2:23:22 | London Marathon |
| 5. | Lidia Șimon (ROM) | 2:23:24 | Osaka International Ladies Marathon |
| 6. | Fatuma Roba (ETH) | 2:23:25 | Boston Marathon |
| 7. | Tegla Loroupe (KEN) | 2:23:46 | Osaka International Ladies Marathon |
| 8. | Marleen Renders (BEL) | 2:23:58 | Berlin Marathon |
| 9. | Adriana Fernández (MEX) | 2:24:06 | London Marathon |
| 10. | Katrin Dörre (GER) | 2:24:35 | Hamburg Marathon |

## Deaths

* January 5 — Jarmila Nygrýnová (45), Czech long jumper (b. 1953)
* January 9 — James Peters (80), English long-distance runner (b. 1918)
* January 28 — Josef Doležal (78), Czechoslovak race walker (b. 1920)
* February 3 — Mikko Hietanen (87),Finnish long-distance runner (b. 1911)
* May 17 — João Carlos de Oliveira (44), Brazilian athlete (b. 1954)
* May 18 — Betty Robinson (87), American athlete (b. 1911)
* June 30 — Bob Backus (72), American hammer thrower (b. 1926)
* August 26 — Elena Murgoci (39), Romanian long-distance runner (b. 1960)