| 1996 in athletics | |
| Iaaf Athletes Of The Year: | Michael Johnson Svetlana Masterkova |
| Previous: | 1995 |
| Next: | 1997 |
This article contains an overview of the year 1996 in athletics.
| Event | Athlete | Nation | Performance | Meeting | Place | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 m | Donovan Bailey | 9.84 | Olympic Games |  Atlanta, United States | 27 July | ||
| 200 m | Michael Johnson | 19.66 | US Olympic Trials | Atlanta, United States | 23 June | ||
| 200 m | Michael Johnson | 19.32 | Olympic Games | Atlanta, United States | 1 August | ||
| 3000 m | Daniel Komen | 7:20.67 | Rieti Meeting |  Rieti, Italy | 1 September | ||
| 10,000 m | Salah Hissou | 26:38.08 | Memorial Van Damme |  Brussels, Belgium | 23 August | ||
| Javelin throw | Jan Železný | 98.48 m | Jena, Germany | 1 September |
| Event | Athlete | Nation | Performance | Meeting | Place | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000 m | Svetlana Masterkova | 2:28.98 | Memorial Van Damme | Brussels, Belgium | 23 August | ||
| Mile | Svetlana Masterkova | 4:12.56 | Zürich, Switzerland | 14 August | |||
| 3000 m steeplechase | Courtney Meldrum | 10:23.47 | US Olympic Trials | Atlanta, United States | 23 June | ||
| Pole vault | Emma George | 4.30 m |  Perth, Australia | 28 January | |||
| Pole vault | Emma George | 4.41 m | Perth, Australia | 28 January | |||
| Pole vault | Emma George | 4.42 m |  Reims, France | 29 June | |||
| Pole vault | Emma George | 4.45 m |  Sapporo, Japan | 14 July | |||
| Hammer throw | Olga Kuzenkova | 68.20 m | Sydney, Australia | 8 February | |||
| Hammer throw | Olga Kuzenkova | 69.46 m | Sydney, Australia | 17 February |
| 1996 TRACK & FIELD AWARDS | ATHLETE | |
|---|---|---|
| IAAF World Athlete of the Year | ||
| Track & Field Athlete of the Year | ||
| European Athlete of the Year Award | ||
| Best Male Track Athlete ESPY Award |
| 1996 TRACK & FIELD AWARDS | ATHLETE | |
|---|---|---|
| IAAF World Athlete of the Year | ||
| Track & Field Athlete of the Year | ||
| European Athlete of the Year Award | ||
| Best Female Track Athlete ESPY Award |
| 100 metres | 9.84 | WR | 10.74 | ||||
| 200 metres | 19.32 | WR | 22.07 | ||||
| 400 metres | 43.44 | 48.25 | |||||
| 800 metres | 1:41.83 | 1:56.04 | |||||
| 1500 metres | 3:29.05 | 3:56.77 | |||||
| 3000 metres | 7:20.67 | WR | 8:35.42 | ||||
| 5000 metres | 12:45.09 | 14:41.07 | |||||
| 10,000 metres | 26:38.08 | WR | 31:01.63 | ||||
| 100/110 metres hurdles | 12.92 | 12.47 | |||||
| 400 metres hurdles | 47.54 | 52.82 | |||||
| 3000 metres steeplechase | 8:05.68 | 10:23.47 | WR | ||||
| Pole vault | 6.02 m | 4.45 m | WR | ||||
| High jump | 2.39 m | 2.05 m | |||||
| Long jump | 8.58 m | 7.20 m | |||||
| Triple jump | 18.09 m | 15.33 m | |||||
| Shot put | 22.40 m | 20.97 m | |||||
| Discus throw | 71.14 m | 69.66 m | |||||
| Javelin throw | 98.48 m | WR | 69.42 m | ||||
| Hammer throw | 82.52 m | 69.46 m | WR | ||||
| Heptathlon | align=center colspan=3 | — | 6942 pts | ||||
| Decathlon | 8824 pts | align=center colspan=3 | — | ||||
| 4 × 100 metres relay | 37.69 | 41.95 | |||||
| 4 × 400 metres relay | 2:55.99 | 3:20.91 |