Dutch Athlete of the Year

Photo of Sifan Hassan holding up her arms after winning the 5000 metres on blue tracks
Middle- and long-distance runner Sifan Hassan was Dutch Athlete of the Year in 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2024.
Photo of Dafne Schippers with a dark background
Sprinter and heptathlete Dafne Schippers won from 2011 to 2017, more times than any other athlete.
Photo of Tinus Osendarp holding his arms wide at the finish line with an audience in the background
Sprinter Tinus Osendarp was the first winner for 1935, when it was called the Sauer Cup.

The Dutch Athlete of the Year (Dutch: atleet van het jaar) is an annual award given to the most distinguished competitor in the sport of athletics from the Netherlands by the Royal Dutch Athletics Federation (KNAU).[1] A shortlist is drawn up by a group of federation officials and sports journalists and then goes to a vote to the public.[1][2] The award is presented at the annual end-of-year gala of the federation.[2][3][4]

The award for 1935 was inaugurated in 1936 as the Sauer Cup (Dutch: Sauer-beker). It was renamed to the KNAU Cup in 1947, as the eponymous Sauer had collaborated with the Nazis during World War II.[5][6] Initially a mixed-gender award, the best Dutch male and female athletes were recognised separately from 1959 onwards. The men's award was called the Herman van Leeuwen Cup during this period, while the women's award continued as the KNAU Cup. Since 2005, the awards have been known as the Dutch Athlete of the Year,[7][8] and since 2018, it is again a mixed-gender award.[1]

Junior athletes also gained recognition separately through the mixed-gender Albert Spree Cup (Dutch: Albert Spree-beker) that was first awarded in 1951.[5] From 1959, male and female juniors were recognised separately; junior female athletes gained recognition through the Fanny Blankers-Koen Plaquette, while the award for junior male athletes continued as the Albert Spree Cup.[5] These were replaced in 2006 by a mixed-gender junior award known as the Talent of the Year. Since 2018, this award has been merged with the Dutch Athlete of the Year award. In the years between 2011 and 2018, a separate award for para-athletes also existed.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d "Toegekende onderscheidingen" (in Dutch), Royal Dutch Athletics Federation, 25 October 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2023. Archived 25 October 2023 at the Wayback Machine.
  2. ^ a b "Bol ook in Nederland verkozen tot Atleet van het Jaar" (in Dutch), De Telegraaf, 19 November 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2023. Archived 6 October 2023 at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ^ "Tot Atleet van het Jaar uitgeroepen Hassan slaat WK indoor over" (in Dutch), NOS, 12 December 2019. Retrieved 1 October 2023. Archived 6 October 2023 at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ^ "Sifan Hassan voor derde keer op rij Nederlands atlete van het jaar" (in Dutch), Algemeen Dagblad, 15 December 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2023. Archived 6 October 2023 at the Wayback Machine.
  5. ^ a b c Aad Heere & Bart Kappenburg, "Hoofdstuk 25 Onderscheidingen Archived 7 October 2023 at the Wayback Machine" (in Dutch), 130 jaar atletiek in Nederland Archived 1 June 2023 at the Wayback Machine (in Dutch), 2000. ISBN 90-9012867-0. Retrieved 6 October 2023. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original on 7 October 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link).
  6. ^ Robert Misset, "De sport als politiek propaganda-wapen" (in Dutch), Het Parool, 5 May 1990. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  7. ^ "Blom en Kiplagat atleten van het jaar Archived 9 October 2023 at the Wayback Machine" (in Dutch), NU.nl, 7 January 2006. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  8. ^ "Bram Som en Karin Ruckstuhl beste atleten Archived 9 October 2023 at the Wayback Machine" (in Dutch), Trouw, 8 January 2007. Retrieved 8 October 2023.