On the eve of the 2021 results being announced, we take a look at the AW Readers’ Poll from 1961 to 1981

The early years of the AW Poll saw just four awards – world male, world female, UK male and UK female.

World male 1961-1981
Courtesy of three world high jump records, Valeriy Brumel was the 1961 winner and that was followed by Peter Snell in 1962. The New Zealander had a brilliant year setting world records at 800m and the mile and also won Commonwealth double gold. He also won the title in 1964, the year of his golden double in Tokyo.

In between’s Snell wins, pole vaulter John Pennel took the honours with seven world records during the season including history’s first 17-footer.

The next three years were won by middle and long distance runners. Ron Clarke had a stunning 1965 with three world 5000m records and history’s first-sub-13 three mile and sub-28 10,000m. In the latter his 27:39.4 took 36 seconds off his previous mark.

Jim Ryun was unbeatable in 1966 and 1967 and set stunning world records at half-mile (1:44.9), the 1500m (3:33.1) and the mile (3:51.1).

Ryun could only finish second in the 1968 Olympic 1500m but Mexico did see Al Oerter win his fourth successive Olympic discus gold, a feat then previously unmatched and he won that year’s award.

Bill Toomey set a decathlon world record of 8417 points in 1969 which saw him win that year’s award and the 1970 award went to Ni Chih-Chin. He had bettered the world high jump record that year with a 2.29 leap but it never made the official world record lists as China were not a recognised nation in world athletics.

It was back to runners for the next 11 years. Finland’s double European champion Juha Vaatainen won in 1971 and his colleague Lasse Viren won both in 1972 and 1976 after his Olympic 5000m and 10,000m doubles.

In 1973, Ben Jipcho gave Kenya their first ever winner when he set two world steeplechase records and was also top class at the mile.

For the first time, a Briton won the award in 1974 when European and Commonwealth marathon champion Ian Thompson was adjudged the best.

John Walker’s first ever sub-3:50 mile gave him the 1975 award while 1976 double Olympic champion Alberto Juantorena won in 1977 when he set a world 800m record and won a double at the first ever World Cup.

Henry Rono dominated 1978 with world records at 3000 metres, 5000m, 10,000m and the steeplechase but it was back to a Briton in 1979 as Sebastian Coe’s stunning world record season where he set 800m, 1500m and mile world records and by repeating that feat in 1981 plus adding a 1000m world record, he again topped AW’s world poll again too.

World female
Russian Tamara Press won the first two titles of the 1960s, courtesy of discus world marks in 1961 and shot records in 1962.

North Korean Sin Kim Dan dominated 1963 running 51.4 for 400m and 1:59.1 for 800m when the official world records were only 53.4 and 2:04.3 though her nation not being recognised meant her stunning marks were never ratified.

Mary Rand won in 1964 courtesy of her world long jump record in winning Tokyo gold.

In 1965 and 1966 Irena Szewinska won courtesy of her sprint world records in 1965 and European 200m and long jump golds in 1966. Incredibly, Szewinska – widely regarded as the world’s greatest ever female – also won in 1974 and 1975 by which time she had also mastered the 400m.

In 1967, Liesel Westermann won due to her world discus record with history’s first 200-footer.

Wyomia Tyus ran a world record 11.0 in defending her Olympic 100m title in Mexico, to win the 1968 award.

Nicole Duclos was perhaps a surprise winner in 1969 as the Frenchwoman took the honours courtesy of a world 400m record in winning the European title.

Taiwan’s Chi Cheng had a stunning 1970 with world records at 100m, 200m and 100m hurdles.

Renate Stecher won twice with a European sprint double in 1971 and world records in 1973 giving her the award each time.

In between Stecher’s years, Mary Peters pentathlon gold gave her the 1972 title.

In the next Olympic year in 1976 double Olympic champion Tatyana Kazankina won the award and the Russian also won in 1980 where she also set a stunning world 1500m record.

Rosi Ackermann set three world high jump records to win the award in 1977.

It was Marita Koch’s turn in 1978 with a 200m world record and three marks at 400m including history’s first 49 second run.

Evelyn Ashford didn’t set in records in 1979 or 1981 but her double sprints victories in the World Cup those years got her the AW reader votes.

UK male 1961-1981
Young 400m runner prospect Adrian Metcalfe – who later became a TV commentator – was a perhaps a surprise winner in 1961 while 1962 was the year of European and Commonwealth marathon champion Brian Kilby.

Steeplechaser Maurice Herriott won in 1963 and Olympic long jump champion Lynn Davies was a predictable winner in 1964 but he also won in 1966 and 1967.

The odd year out went to British mile record setter Alan Simpson in 1965.

David Hemery with his stunning world record at 400m hurdles in the Mexico Olympics was the obvious winner in 1968 though he also won in 1972 where he was third in Munich.

The year of 1969 was more open and went the way of teenage European 5000m champion Ian Stewart with the following year going to Commonwealth marathon champion Ron Hill.

Despite only a European sixth place, Dave Bedford dominated the 1971 voting with his European records at 5000m and 10,000m.

In 1973 Brendan Foster won courtesy of his European Cup 5000m win and his world two miles record and he also won in 1976 where he won Britain’s only athletics medal.

Foster also had a blinding year in 1974 but world male winner Ian Thompson also took the UK award as did Coe in his two global successes.

Alan Pascoe was the world No.1 400m hurdler in 1975 and won that year and the only other UK winner over this period was Steve Ovett.

A UK 1500m record in winning the World Cup gave him the award in 1977 and a European 1500m gold got him the title in 1978.

He also perhaps more controversially won in 1980 due to his Olympic gold at 800m and his first world record marks though Coe beat him 66% to Ovett’s 15% in 1981 to deny him a record fourth victory.

UK female 1961-1981
The relatively little-known 800m runner Joy Jordan came out top in 1961 but 1962 and 1963 saw European 100m champion Dorothy Hyman lead the voting.

Rand led the way in 1964 as did the overall world winner Peters in 1972.

Middle-distance runner Anne Smith won in 1965 and 1966 before 400m runner Lillian Board won for three years in a row though in 1968 she shared it with long jumper and fellow Olympic silver medallist Sheila Sherwood who also won outright in 1970.

In 1969 a European 800m title and a stunning 4x400m leg to win Britain gold at Athens got Board the verdict but she died of cancer aged just 22 the following year.

High jumper Barbara Lawton – Britain’s first six footer won in 1971 while British middle-distance runner Joan Allison came out top in 1973.

Sprinters won the next four votes with doubles for Andrea Lynch in 1974 and 1975 and Sonia Lannaman in 1976 and 1977.

Javelin thrower Tessa Sanderson broke the sprinters deadlock courtesy of a European silver and Commonwealth gold in 1978.

The 1500m runner Chris Benning won in 1979 with marathoner Joyce Smith at the age of 43, winning in 1980.

The 1981 award went the way of sprinter Kathy Smallwood ahead of London Marathon winner Smith.