Ranked! Top 5 Track Athletes of 2023, From Kipyegon to Lyles

• The 2023 track season has been incredible
• We've seen world records broken and new stars born
• Sports Brief looks at the 5 best track athletes of 2023 ahead of the Diamond League final next weekend

The 2023 Athletics season is coming to an end, and we've witnessed some iconic performances on the track and field. World records have fallen, new champions have been crowned, and new stars have emerged.

The 2023 Diamond League final next weekend will cap off a truly eventful season.

Although we've seen incredible performances from many athletes this season, a few of them have stood out due to their record-breaking displays throughout the season.

The just-concluded 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest saw the best athletes in every field go head-to-head, and some feel it was one of the best athletics championships of all time.

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Athletics

Faith Kipyuegon broke three world records in 51 days, etching her name in the history books. Noah Lyles entertained the fans on and off the track, while many others gave us unforgettable memories. Here are the top 5 track athletes in 2023.

Top 5 track athletes of 2023

5. Femke Bol - Women's 400m hurdles

The Dutch sprinter is having a fantastic season. She has won five Diamond League 400m hurdles races, a gold medal in the women's 400m hurdles in Budapest and produced a stunning finish in the 4x100 women's relay to bag gold for the Dutch, per World Athletics.

Interestingly, Bol fell metres before crossing the finish line on the opening day in the mixed 4x100 but redeemed herself with one of the best finishes in the event. She will be looking to end on a high in the Diamond League final.

4. Sha'Carri Richardson - Women's 100m, 200m

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The 23-year-old American had an indifferent 2021 and 2022, but some felt it was only a matter of time before she took the women's sprint by storm. And she did. In 2023, she is the women's 100m world champion, silver medalist in the 200m and gold medalist in the 4x100 relay.

In the women's 100m final in Budapest, she ran a championship record of 10.65 seconds, stunning Jamaican Shericka Jackson and reigning champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. She has a chance to finish on a high in the Diamond League final on home soil.

Richardson has the potential to dominate the women's 100m in the next decade.

3. Shericka Jackson - Woemen's 100m, 200m

Jackson has had a phenomenal season both in the Diamond League circuit and the 2023 World Athletics Championships. She won gold in the women's 200m, silver in the 100m and 4x100 relay. In the 200m, it was her against the clock. After clocking 21.48 seconds in the 200m at the Brussels Diamond League, she now has three of the four fastest times in the distance.

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She will try and break Florence Griffith-Joyner's 35-year-old world record (21.34) at the Diamond League final on September 16th and 17th. Faith Kipyegon is the only female track athlete who has had a better year than Jackson.

2. Noah Lyles - Men's 100m, 200m

The American won three gold medals in Budapest in the men's 100m, 200m and 4x100 relay. He promised to break the 200m world record but fell short, delivering three gold medals. It's hard to think of any male athlete that has had a better year than Lyles.

Moreover, he brought track and field to the limelight after blasting NBA players for calling themselves world champions.

1. Faith Kipyegon - Women's 1500m, 5000m

Where do we start with Kipyegon? This year alone, she broke the 1500m, 500m and one mile world records. She did not stop there. The 29-year-old Kenyan won gold in the 1500m and 5000m in Budapest, and she will compete at the Diamond League final next weekend.

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Athletics

The three-time 1500m world champion will take part in the inaugural World Athletics Road Running Championships in Riga, Latvia.

Diamond League final start lists

Sports Brief earlier reported on the start lists of the 2023 Diamond League final in Eugene, USA.

Some of the top stars that will grace the event are Noah Lyles, Ferdinand Omanyala, Femke Bol, Mondo Duplantis, Yulimar Rojas, Jakob Ingerbrigtsen, and Joshua Cheptegei.

Each champion in all 16 disciplines is awarded a 'Diamond Trophy' and $30,000 in prize money.