This article contains an overview of the sport of athletics, including track and field, cross country and road running, in the year 2003.
| 2003 in athletics | |
|---|---|
Action at the World Championships in Paris
| |
| Major world events | World Championships World Indoor Championships |
| IAAF Athletes of the Year | Hicham El Guerrouj Hestrie Cloete |
← 2002 2004 → | |
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.
| 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 |
| Event | Athlete | Nation | Performance | Meeting | 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 |
| 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)
|
| 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)
|
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| RANK | 2003 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Paula Radcliffe (GBR)
|
1:05:39 |
| RANK | 2003 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Gail Devers (USA)
|
12.45 |
| Brigitte Foster-Hylton (JAM)
| ||
| 3. | Miesha McKelvy (USA)
|
12.51 |
| 4. |  Perdita Felicien (CAN)
|
12.53 |
| 5. | Donica Merriman (USA)
|
12.65 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| RANK | 2003 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | HEIGHT |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Kajsa Bergqvist (SWE)
|
2.06 m |
| Hestrie Cloete (RSA)
|
2.06 m | |
| 3. | Marina Kuptsova (RUS)
|
2.02 m |
| 4. | Inga Babakova (UKR)
|
2.01 m |
| Viktoriya Palamar (UKR)
|
2.01 m | |
 Blanka Vlašić (CRO)
|
2.01 m | |
| Amy Acuff (USA)
|
2.01 m | |
 Venelina Veneva (BUL)
|
2.01 m |
| 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 |
| Tatyana Polnova (RUS)
| ||
| Annika Becker (GER)
|
| 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 |
| RANK | ATHLETE | TIME |
|---|---|---|
|
 Vanderlei de Lima (BRA)
|
2:19:08 |
|
Bruce Deacon (CAN)
|
2:20:25 |
|
 Diego Colorado (COL)
|
2:21:48 |
| 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 |
| RANK | ATHLETE | TIME |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Márcia Narloch (BRA)
|
2:39:54 |
|
|
 Mariela González (CUB)
|
2:42:55 |
|
|
 Érika Olivera (CHI)
|
2:44:52 |
| 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 |