| 1997 in athletics | |
| Major World Competitions: | |
| Iaaf Athletes Of The Year: | Wilson Kipketer Marion Jones |
| Previous: | 1996 |
| Next: | 1998 |
This article contains an overview of the year 1997 in athletics.
| Event | Athlete | Nation | Performance | Meeting | Place | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 800 m | Wilson Kipketer | 1:41.73[1] |  Stockholm, Sweden | 7 July | |||
| 800 m | Wilson Kipketer | 1:41.24 | Zürich, Switzerland | 13 August | |||
| 800 m | Wilson Kipketer | 1:41.11 | Cologne, Germany | 24 August | |||
| 5000 m | Haile Gebrselassie |  Ethiopia | 12:41.86 | Zürich, Switzerland | 13 August | ||
| 5000 m | Daniel Komen | 12:39.74 |  Brussels, Belgium | 22 August | |||
| 10,000 m | Haile Gebrselassie | Ethiopia | 26:31.32 |  Oslo, Norway | 4 July | ||
| 10,000 m | Paul Tergat | 26:27.85 | Brussels, Belgium | 22 August | |||
| 3000 m steeplechase | Wilson Boit Kipketer | 7:59.08 | Zürich, Switzerland | 13 August | |||
| 3000 m steeplechase | Bernard Barmasai | 7:55.72 | Cologne, Germany | 24 August |
| Event | Athlete | Nation | Performance | Meeting | Place | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5000 m | Dong Yanmei | 14:31.27 |  Shanghai, China | 21 October | |||
| 5000 m | Jiang Bo | 14:28.09 | Shanghai, China | 23 October | |||
| Pole vault | Emma George | 4.50 m |  Melbourne, Australia | 8 February | |||
| Pole vault | Emma George | 4.55 m | Melbourne, Australia | 20 February | |||
| Hammer throw | Mihaela Melinte | 69.58 m |  Bucharest, Romania | 8 March | |||
| Hammer throw | Olga Kuzenkova | 70.78 m |  Smolensk, Russia | 11 June | |||
| Hammer throw | Olga Kuzenkova | 71.22 m | Munich, Germany | 22 June | |||
| Hammer throw | Olga Kuzenkova | 73.10 m | Munich, Germany | 22 June |
| 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 | 9.86 | 10.76 | |||||
| 200 metres | 19.77 | 21.76 | |||||
| 400 metres | 43.75 | 49.39 | |||||
| 800 metres | 1:41.11 | WR | 1:54.82 | ||||
| 1500 metres | 3:28.91 | 3:50.98 | |||||
| 3000 metres | 7:26.02 | 8:27.78 | |||||
| 5000 metres | 12:39.74 | WR | 14:28.09 | WR | |||
| 10,000 metres | 26:27.85 | WR | 30:38.09 | ||||
| 100/110 metres hurdles | 12.93 | 12.50 | |||||
| 400 metres hurdles | 47.64 | 52.97 | |||||
| 3000 metres steeplechase | 7:55.72 | WR | 10:30.90 | ||||
| Pole vault | 6.05 m | 4.55 m | WR | ||||
| High jump | 2.37 m | 2.02 m | |||||
| Long jump | 8.63 m | 7.05 m | |||||
| Triple jump | 17.85 m | 15.20 m | |||||
| Shot put | 22.03 m | 21.22 m | |||||
| Discus throw | 71.50 m | 70.00 m | |||||
| Javelin throw | 94.02 m | 69.66 m | |||||
| Hammer throw | 83.04 m | 73.10 m | WR | ||||
| Heptathlon | align=center colspan=3 | — | 6787 pts | ||||
| Decathlon | 8837 pts | align=center colspan=3 | — | ||||
| 4×100 metres relay | 37.86 | 41.47 | |||||
| 4×400 metres relay | 2:56.65 | 3:20.92 |