2004 in the sport of athletics
This article contains an overview of the sport of athletics, including track and field, cross country and road running, in the year 2004.
| 2004 in athletics | |
|---|---|
![]() Hurdler Liu Xiang became Olympic champion and world record holder in 2004.  | |
| Major world events | Olympic Games | 
| World records set | 7 | 
| IAAF Athletes of the Year | Kenenisa Bekele Yelena Isinbayeva  | 
← 2003  2005 →   | |
The major competition of the year was the 2004 Summer Olympics. At the event, Yelena Isinbayeva cleared a world record 4.91 m in the pole vault. Liu Xiang won the men's 110 metres hurdles with a world record-equalling time of 12.91 seconds,[1] defying traditional beliefs about the physical calibre of Chinese (and Asian) sprint athletes.[2] Hicham El Guerrouj capped off his prominent international career with two gold medals in the 1500 m and 5000 m. The Olympic competition in Athens was marred by an incident involving Greek Olympic medallists Konstantinos Kenteris and Ekaterini Thanou, who were alleged to have staged a motorcycle crash in order to avoid doping tests.[3] Both athletes missed the competition and were later banned for missing three doping tests.[4]
Major events
    
    World
    
Regional
    
  | 
 
  | 
World records
    
    Men
    
| Event | Athlete | Nation | Performance | Meeting | Place | Date | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5,000 metres | Kenenisa Bekele | 12:37.35 | 31 May | |||
| 10,000 metres | Kenenisa Bekele | 26:20.31 | 31 May | |||
| 25 km (road) | Paul Malakwen Kosgei | 1:12:45 | 9 May | |||
| 110 m hurdles | Liu Xiang | 12.91 | 27 August | |||
| 3000 m steeplechase | Saif Saaeed Shaheen | 7:53.63 | 3 September | 
Women
    
| Event | Athlete | Nation | Performance | Meeting | Place | Date | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5,000 metres | Elvan Abeylegesse | 14:24.68 | 11 June | |||
| 3000 m steeplechase | Gulnara Samitova-Galkina | 9:01.59 | 10 August | |||
| Pole vault | Yelena Isinbaeva | 4.83 m | 15 February | |||
| Pole vault | Svetlana Feofanova | 4.85 m | 22 February | |||
| Pole vault | Yelena Isinbaeva | 4.86 m | 6 March | |||
| Pole vault | Yelena Isinbaeva | 4.87 m | 27 June | |||
| Pole vault | Svetlana Feofanova | 4.88 m | 4 July | |||
| Pole vault | Yelena Isinbaeva | 4.89 m | 25 July | |||
| Pole vault | Yelena Isinbaeva | 4.90 m | 30 July | |||
| Pole vault | Yelena Isinbaeva | 4.91 m | 24 August | |||
| Pole vault | Yelena Isinbaeva | 4.92 m | 3 September | |||
| Decathlon | Marie Collonvillé | 8150 pts | 25-26 September | 
Season's bests
    
Awards
    
    Men
    

Women
    

Seasonal rankings by event
    
    
400 m Hurdles
    
| RANK | 2004 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME | 
|---|---|---|
| 1. | 47.63 | |
| 2. | 47.68 | |
| 3. | 47.86 | |
| 4. | 48.00 | |
| 5. | 48.02 | 
3000 m Steeplechase
    
| RANK | 2004 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME | 
|---|---|---|
| 1. | 7:53.63 | |
| 2. | 7:59.65 | |
| 3. | 8:02.66 | |
| 4. | 8:02.98 | |
| 5. | 8:05.52 | 
Marathon
    
| RANK | NAME ATHLETE | TIME | EVENT | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 2:06:16 | Chicago Marathon | |
| 2. | 2:06:18 | London Marathon | |
| 3. | 2:06:22 | Amsterdam Marathon | |
| 4. | 2:06:44 | Berlin Marathon | |
| 5. | 2:06:48 | London Marathon | |
| 6. | 2:06:49 | Berlin Marathon | |
| 7. | 2:07:05 | Berlin Marathon | |
| 8. | 2:07:06 | Seoul International Marathon | |
| 9. | 2:07:12 | London Marathon | |
| 10. | 2:07:42 | Otsu Marathon | 
Pole Vault
    
| RANK | 2004 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | HEIGHT | 
|---|---|---|
| 1. | 6.01 m | |
| 2. | 6.00 m | |
| 3. | 5.86 m | |
| 4. | 5.85 m | |
100 metres
    
| RANK | 2004 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME | 
|---|---|---|
| 1. | 10.77 | |
| 2. | 10.91 | |
| 3. | 10.92 | |
| 4. | 10.95 | |
| 5. | 10.96 | 
200 metres
    
| RANK | 2004 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME | 
|---|---|---|
| 1. | 22.05 | |
| 2. | 22.18 | |
| 3. | 22.30 | |
| 4. | 22.33 | |
| 5. | 22.34 | |
Half Marathon
    
| RANK | 2004 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME | 
|---|---|---|
| 1. | 1:07:55 | 
100 m Hurdles
    
| RANK | 2004 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME | 
|---|---|---|
| 1. | 12.37 | |
| 2. | 12.45 | |
| 3. | 12.46 | |
| 4. | 12.50 | |
| 5. | 12.51 | 
400 m Hurdles
    
| RANK | 2004 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME | 
|---|---|---|
| 1. | 52.77 | |
| 2. | 52.95 | |
| 3. | 53.31 | |
| 4. | 53.32 | |
| 5. | 53.36 | 
3000 m Steeplechase
    
| RANK | 2004 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME | 
|---|---|---|
| 1. | 9:01.59 | |
| 2. | 9:28.02 | |
| 3. | 9:29.30 | |
| 4. | 9:29.32 | |
| 5. | 9:29.81 | 
High Jump
    
| RANK | 2004 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | HEIGHT | 
|---|---|---|
| 1. | 2.06 m | |
| 2. | 2.04 m | |
| 3. | 2.03 m | |
| 4. | 2.02 m | |
| 5. | 2.01 m | |
Pole Vault
    
| RANK | 2004 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | HEIGHT | 
|---|---|---|
| 1. | 4.92 m | |
| 2. | 4.88 m | |
| 3. | 4.83 m | |
| 4. | 4.78 m | |
| 5. | 4.72 m | 
Heptathlon
    
| RANK | 2004 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | POINTS | 
|---|---|---|
| 1. | 6952 | |
| 2. | 6594 | |
| 3. | 6435 | |
| 4. | 6424 | |
| 5. | 6387 | 
Marathon
    
| RANK | NAME ATHLETE | TIME | EVENT | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 2:19:41 | Berlin Marathon | |
| 2. | 2:22:35 | London Marathon | |
| 3. | 2:23:10 | New York Marathon | |
| 4. | 2:23:13 | New York Marathon | |
| 5. | 2:23:26 | Berlin Marathon | |
| 6. | 2:23:28 | Xiamen Marathon | |
| 7. | 2:23:45 | Chicago Marathon | |
| 8. | 2:23:57 | Nagoya Marathon | |
| 9. | 2:24:11 | Beijing Marathon | |
| 10. | 2:24:27 | Boston Marathon | 
Deaths
    
- April 23 – Manuel Alcalde (47), Spanish race walker (b. 1956)
 - December 4 – June Maston (76), Australian sprinter and athletics coach (b. 1928)
 - December 25 – Ian Syster (28), South African long-distance runner (b. 1976)
 
References
    
- 2004 Summer Olympics - Men's 110m Hurdles Final. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-07-18.
 - Liu Xiang - 'China's Flying Man'. China.org. Retrieved on 2010-07-18.
 - Trial for Greek sprinters postponed. USA Today (2009-02-05). Retrieved on 2010-07-18.
 - IAAF charges Kenteris, Thanou and Tzekos with doping violations. IAAF (2004-12-02). Retrieved on 2010-07-18.
 
- Marathon times
 

