Olympic champions, world record holders and all-time greats dot the list

By Scott Bush, DyeStat Editor 

Vote for the DyeStat Pro Performer of the Year below after reviewing this year's nominees

Many critics are concerned about what happens to professional track and field’s visibility once the legendary Usain Bolt retires. After reviewing qualified finalists for this year’s top 16 athletes, it’s easy to see there are plenty of stars waiting in line for their turn to be the face of the sport, both in the United States and internationally.

Olympic champions, world record holders and all-time greats dot the list, making the choice for athlete of the year honors that much more difficult. Please vote for your top choice for Athlete of the Year.

Almaz Ayana (Ethiopia)

Fourteen seconds. That’s how much Ayana broke the women’s 10,000-meter world record by in the Olympics, running 29:17.45 to smash the 1983 standard, besting her nearest competitor by 15 seconds in the deepest 10,000 in history. While Ayana clearly wanted double gold, she was ultimately denied by rival Vivian Cheruiyot over 5000 meters, but the Ethiopian still finished the year with the top three times in the event, including the second-, sixth- and ninth-fastest marks in history.

Tianna Bartoletta (United States)

One of the more underappreciated performers at the Olympics was indeed Bartoletta. The 31-year old secured double gold, upsetting fellow American Brittney Reese to win the long jump, then came back in Rio to help Team USA win gold in the 4x100m relay. It’s rare to see an athlete thrive in two completely separate events, but Bartoletta showcased her versatility on the world’s biggest stage.

Usain Bolt (Jamaica)

The greatest sprinter of all-time capped his Olympic career with three more gold medals, easily winning the 100 meters, 200 meters and helping Team Jamaica bring home international bragging rights in the 4x100 relay. Bolt finished the year ranked second in the world in the 100 and third in the 200, but for him it was all about winning gold in 2016.

Michelle Carter (United States)

It was a year to remember for Carter. Entering 2016, she had only finished top three in a World Championship or Olympics once, having earned bronze at the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships. That all changed in 2016, as Carter first grabbed gold in Portland at the IAAF World Indoor Championships, followed that up with another national outdoor title, then capped it all off with her PR toss of 67-8.25 to win Olympic gold with the year’s best mark.

Matthew Centrowitz (United States)

It was a tale of two seasons for Centrowitz, who showed time and again that he might not be the fastest on paper, but in a championship race he can never be discounted. Centrowitz won gold in Rio over 1500 meters, outkicking a star-studded field, becoming the first American man to win the event since 1908. Not to be overlooked, Centrowitz also won the 1500 at the IAAF World Indoor Championships, making him a double-gold medalist in 2016.

Ashton Eaton (United States)

The greatest decathlete in history didn’t have the smoothest of seasons, but in the end, Eaton came away with his second Olympic gold, becoming only the third man in history to win two Olympic gold medals in the event and the first to do so since Daley Thompson of Great Britain won in 1980 and 1984. In addition, Eaton’s winning marks in Rio and at the Olympic Trials gave him two of the year’s top three decathlon scores in the world.

Mo Farah (Great Britain)

Farah, shooting for yet another double in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters at the Olympics, proved he’s one of the greatest distance runners of all-time. Not only did he earn victories in his two events, but he did it with such easy dominance over his competition that it almost seemed as though the rest of the fields were afraid to truly challenge him.

Keni Harrison (United States)

It would be easy to overlook Harrison for top athlete honors considering she didn’t qualify for the Olympics in the 100-meter hurdles, but that’s only a small part of her 2016. The former University of Kentucky star set the world record by running 12.20 in July, after her sixth-place Olympic Trials finish, then concluded the year with eight of the nine fastest performances in the world. Fellow American Brianna Rollins won gold in Rio and ran the third-fastest time of the year at 12.34, but Harrison was the most dominant from start to finish.

Caterine Ibarguen (Colombia)

In 2016, Ibarguen once again proved that she’s the world’s best triple jumper. The two-time world champion added Olympic gold medalist to her growing resume, besting Venezuelan rival Yulimar Rojas. On top of that, Ibarguen produced five of the top eight jumps in the world, including the two best, with her 49-9.25 winning the title in Rio.

Ruth Jebet (Bahrain)

To break a world record is no small feat, but to smash it by six seconds, well that’s just downright impressive. Jebet became only the second woman in history to break the nine-minute barrier in the 3000-meter steeplechase, but did so three times in 2016, including her historic 8:52.78 world record in Paris just 12 days after winning Olympic gold.

Conseslus Kipruto (Kenya)

It was a year of dominance in the 3000-meter steeplechase for Kipruto, running the five fastest times in the world and seven of the top 10. His five fastest times averaged out to just under 8:03, a nice complement to his Olympic gold. In Rio, Kipruto set the Olympic record of 8:03.28 to win by a second over American Evan Jager.

Omar McLeod (Jamaica)

Only 22, the former University of Arkansas standout proved he will be the man to beat in the 110-meter hurdles for years to come. McLeod kicked off the year with a sub-13 clocking, with his 12.98 best in Shanghai in May. The Jamaican followed that up with an incredible final six months, including an Olympic gold medal and six of the year’s eight fastest performances.

Christian Taylor (United States)

Although Taylor claimed early in the season he was aiming for the triple jump world record in 2016, for him it was more about establishing himself as the event’s dominant athlete, then claim another gold medal. Mission accomplished on both fronts. Taylor had the four longest jumps in 2016, including his Olympic-winning leap of 58-7.25 in Rio.

Elaine Thompson (Jamaica)

The future of female sprinting officially arrived in Rio, as Thompson won the Olympic sprint double, taking top prizes in the 100 and 200 meters over strong, talented and experienced fields. Thompson, the first female to sweep both Olympic sprint golds since 1988, ran the three-fastest 100 times in the world this year, in addition to running the fastest two marks in the 200.

Wayde Van Niekerk (South Africa)

The 24-year old shocked the world in Rio. Running in lane eight, Van Niekerk put on a show in the 400 meters, running away from arguably the deepest field in history to not only win Olympic gold, but smash Michael Johnson’s world record with a 43.03 performance. Van Niekerk won by nearly three-quarters of a second and bested Johnson’s 1999 record by 0.15 seconds.

Anita Wlodarczyk (Poland)

No athlete in track and field has dominated the competition like Wlodarczyk has in the women’s hammer throw. Of the top 15 marks of all-time in the event, Wlodarczyk threw 12 of them in 2016, with the other three being hers from 2015. Wlodarczyk put on a show in Rio, winning by over five meters to break her own world. She improved on that record mark two weeks later with a toss of 272-3, giving her the top 12 throws in the world in 2016.

*The marathon was not taken into consideration, as it’s considered a road race event, not a track and field event.