American track stars Noah Lyles, Gabby Thomas, and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone were snubbed for prestigious Olympic international award.
Despite producing iconic performances in Paris, Noah Lyles, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Gabby Thomas, and other top Olympic champions were snubbed for prestigious recognitions at this year’s ANOC Awards.
The Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) Awards was organised to celebrate the outstanding achievements of NOCs, athletes, and distinguished members of the Olympic Family.
In recognition of their exceptional performances at the Paris Olympics, track stars Julien Alfred and Letsile Tebogo were among the winners on the night as they were named the Best Female and Male Athlete of the Paris 2024 Games.
Alfred blazed to the 100m gold medal in a blistering time of 10.72s to become Saint Lucia’s first Olympic champion in Paris. Not resting on her oars, she sped to the silver medal in the 200m final to end her Olympic debut on an iconic note.
Likewise, Tebogo became Botswana’s first Olympic champion in the men’s 200m event, after clocking a brilliant African Record (AR) of 19.45s to defeat pre-race favourite Lyles. He also anchored his country’s 4x400m squad to the silver medal in an AR.
While Alfred and Tebogo’s historical performances were one of the highlights in Paris and were arguably deserving of their awards, conspicuously snubbed is Thomas who won three gold medals in the 200m, 4x100m, and 4x400m.
Also snubbed was Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who powered to a new World Record (WR) of 50.37s to successfully defend her Olympic title in the women’s 400mH event – her third time breaking the WR this season. She also clocked the fastest split time in the women’s 4x400m final, which was vital in Team USA squad claiming the gold medal.
Lyles’ 100m gold medal-winning performance was the first time an American sprinter became the Olympic champion in the event since Justin Gatlin attained the feat at Athens 2004.
The incredible performances of Alfred and Tebogo, as well as Thomas, McLaughlin-Levrone, Lyles, and other Olympic champions in Paris who could have also been deserving winners, prove how much track and field has improved in the past decade and athletes need more than winning titles for award recognitions.
Here is the full list of winners at the ANOC Awards.
