1983_in_athletics_(track_and_field)
1983 in the sport of athletics
Overview of the events of 1983 in the sport of athletics
This article contains an overview of the year 1983 in athletics.
Quick Facts Major world events ...
| 1983 in athletics | |
|---|---|
| Major world events | World Championship in Athletics |
← 1982 1984 → | |
Close
Men
More information EVENT, ATHLETE ...
| EVENT | ATHLETE | MARK | DATE | VENUE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 metres |  Calvin Smith (USA) |
9.93 | 3 July | Air Force Academy, CO, USA |
| 1500 m | Sydney Maree (USA) |
3:31.24 | 28 August | Köln, West Germany |
| 1500 m |  Steve Ovett (GBR) |
3:30.77 | 4 September | Rieti, Italy |
| 400m Hurdles | Ed Moses (USA) |
47.02 | 31 August | Koblenz, West Germany |
| 4x100m Relay | United States (USA) • Emmit King • Willie Gault • Calvin Smith • Carl Lewis |
37.86 | 10 August | Helsinki |
| High Jump |  Zhu Jianhua (CHN) |
2.37m | 11 June | Beijing, PR China |
| Zhu Jianhua (CHN) |
2.38m | 22 September | Shanghai, PR China | |
| Pole Vault |  Pierre Quinon (FRA) |
5.82m | 28 August | Köln, West Germany |
| Pole Vault | Thierry Vigneron (FRA) |
5.83m | 1 September | Rome, Italy |
| Shot Put |  Udo Beyer (GDR) |
22.22m | 25 June | Los Angeles, United States |
| Discus |  Yuriy Dumchev (URS) |
71.86m | 29 May | Moscow, Soviet Union |
| Hammer | Sergey Litvinov (URS) |
84.14m | 21 June | Moscow, Soviet Union |
| Javelin (old) | Tom Petranoff (USA) |
99.72m | 15 May | Westwood, United States |
| Decathlon |  Jürgen Hingsen (FRG) |
8825 | 4-5 June | Bernhausen, West Germany |
| Half Marathon | Paul Cummings (USA) |
1:01:32 | 25 September | Dayton, Ohio, United States |
Close
Women
More information EVENT, ATHLETE ...
| EVENT | ATHLETE | MARK | DATE | VENUE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 metres | Marlies Göhr (GDR) |
10.81 | 8 June | East Berlin |
| Evelyn Ashford (USA) |
10.79 | 3 July | Colorado Springs | |
| 400 metres |  Jarmila Kratochvílová (TCH) |
47.99 | 10 August | Helsinki |
| 800 metres | Jarmila Kratochvílová (TCH) |
1:53.28 | 26 July | Munich |
| 10,000 metres | Lyudmila Baranova (URS) |
31:35.01 | 29 May | Krasnodar |
| Raysa Sadreydinova (URS) |
31:27.58 | 7 September | Odessa | |
| 400m Hurdles | Anna Ambrazienė (URS) |
54.02 | 11 June | Moscow |
| 4x100m Relay | East Germany (GDR) • Silke Möller • Marita Koch • Ingrid Auerswald • Marlies Göhr |
41.53 | 31 July | East Berlin |
| High Jump | Ulrike Meyfarth (FRG) |
2.03m | 21 August | London |
| Tamara Bykova (URS) |
2.04m | 25 August | Pisa, Italy | |
| Heptathlon | Ramona Neubert (GDR) |
6935 | 18-19 June | Moscow |
| Half Marathon | Joan Benoit (USA) |
1:09:10 | 18 September | Philadelphia |
Close
100 metres
- Main race this year: World Championships 100 metres
More information RANK, TIME ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Calvin Smith (USA) |
9.93 |
| 2. | Carl Lewis (USA) |
9.97 |
| 3. | Mel Lattany (USA) |
10.03 |
| 4. |  Leandro Peñalver (CUB) |
10.06 |
| Ron Brown (USA) | ||
| Emmit King (USA) |
Close
200 metres
- Main race this year: World Championships 200 metres
More information RANK, TIME ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Carl Lewis (USA) |
19.75 |
| 2. | Calvin Smith (USA) |
19.99 |
| 3. | Larry Myricks (USA) |
20.03 |
| 4. | Elliott Quow (USA) |
20.16 |
| 5. | Mel Lattany (USA) |
20.22 |
Close
400 metres
- Main race this year: World Championships 400 metres
More information RANK, TIME ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Erwin Skamrahl (FRG) |
44.50 |
| 2. |  Bert Cameron (JAM) |
44.62 |
| 3. | James Rolle (USA) |
44.73 |
| 4. | Chris Whitlock (USA) |
44.80 |
| 5. | Sunder Nix (USA) |
44.87 |
Close
800 metres
- Main race this year: World Championships 800 metres
More information RANK, TIME ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Steve Cram (GBR) |
1:43.61 |
| 2. | Willi Wülbeck (FRG) |
1:43.65 |
| 3. | Sebastian Coe (GBR) |
1:43.80 |
| 4. | Peter Elliott (GBR) |
1:43.98 |
| 5. |  Joaquim Cruz (BRA) |
1:44.04 |
Close
1,500 metres
- Main race this year: World Championships 1,500 metres
More information RANK, TIME ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Steve Ovett (GBR) |
3:30.77 |
| 2. | Sydney Maree (USA) |
3:31.24 |
| 3. | Steve Cram (GBR) |
3:31.66 |
| 4. |  Saïd Aouita (MAR) |
3:32.54 |
| 5. | Steve Scott (USA) |
3:32.71 |
Close
Mile
More information RANK, TIME ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Steve Scott (USA) |
3:49.21 |
| 2. |  John Walker (NZL) |
3:49.73 |
| 3. | Thomas Wessinghage (FRG) |
3:49.98 |
| 4. | Sydney Maree (USA) |
3:50.30 |
| 5. | Steve Ovett (GBR) |
3:50.49 |
Close
3,000 metres
More information RANK, TIME ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Doug Padilla (USA) |
7:35.84 |
| 2. |  Eamonn Coghlan (IRL) |
7:38.39 |
| 3. |  António Leitão (POR) |
7:39.69 |
| 4. | Thomas Wessinghage (FRG) |
7:39.71 |
| 5. |  Dragan Zdravković (YUG) |
7:40.49 |
Close
5,000 metres
- Main race this year: World Championships 5,000 metres
More information RANK, TIME ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Fernando Mamede (POR) |
13:08.54 |
| 2. | António Leitão (POR) |
13:14.13 |
| 3. | Doug Padilla (USA) |
13:17.69 |
| 4. |  Antonio Prieto (ESP) |
13:18.53 |
| 5. | Thomas Wessinghage (FRG) |
13:18.86 |
Close
10,000 metres
- Main race this year: World Championships 10,000 metres
More information RANK, TIME ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Carlos Lopes (POR) |
27:23.44 |
| 2. | Werner Schildhauer (GDR) |
27:24.95 |
| 3. | Fernando Mamede (POR) |
27:25.13 |
| 4. | Hansjörg Kunze (GDR) |
27:30.69 |
| 5. | Nick Rose (GBR) |
27:31.19 |
Close
Half Marathon
More information RANK, TIME ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Paul Cummings (USA) |
1:01:32 WR |
Close
Marathon
- Main race this year: World Championships Marathon
More information RANK, TIME ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
|---|---|---|
| 1. |  Robert de Castella (AUS) |
2:08:37 |
| 2. |  Toshihiko Seko (JPN) |
2:08:38 |
| 3. | Carlos Lopes (POR) |
2:08:39 |
| 4. | Takeshi So (JPN) |
2:08:55 |
 Juma Ikangaa (TAN) |
Close
110m Hurdles
- Main race this year: World Championships 110m Hurdles
More information RANK, TIME ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Greg Foster (USA) |
13.11 |
| 2. | Sam Turner (USA) |
13.17 |
| 3. | Tonie Campbell (USA) |
13.32 |
| 4. |  Arto Bryggare (FIN) |
13.44 |
| Roger Kingdom (USA) |
Close
400m Hurdles
- Main race this year: World Championships 400m Hurdles
More information RANK, TIME ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Edwin Moses (USA) |
47.02 |
| 2. | Andre Phillips (USA) |
47.78 |
| 3. | David Patrick (USA) |
48.05 |
| 4. | David Lee (USA) |
48.42 |
| 5. | Harald Schmid (FRG) |
48.49 |
Close
3,000m Steeplechase
- Main race this year: World Championships 3,000m Steeplechase
More information RANK, TIME ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Henry Marsh (USA) |
8:12.37 |
| 2. |  Bogusław Mamiński (POL) |
8:12.62 |
| 3. | Patriz Ilg (FRG) |
8:15.06 |
| 4. | Graeme Fell (GBR) |
8:15.16 |
| 5. | Joseph Mahmoud (FRA) |
8:15.59 |
Close
High Jump
- Main competition this year: World Championships High Jump
More information RANK, HEIGHT ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | HEIGHT |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Zhu Jianhua (CHN) |
2.38 WR |
| 2. | Valeriy Sereda (URS) |
2.35 |
| 3. | Paul Frommeyer (FRG) |
2.34 |
| Carlo Thränhardt (FRG) | ||
 Eddy Annys (BEL) |
Close
Long Jump
- Main competition this year: World Championships Long Jump
More information RANK, DISTANCE ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | DISTANCE |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Carl Lewis (USA) |
8.79 |
| 2. | Jason Grimes (USA) |
8.39 |
| 3. | Sergey Rodin (URS) |
8.33 |
| Reginald Kelly (USA) | ||
| 5. | Aleksandr Beskrovniy (URS) |
8.28 |
Close
Triple Jump
- Main competition this year: World Championships Triple Jump
More information RANK, DISTANCE ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | DISTANCE |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Vasiliy Grishchenkov (URS) |
17.55 |
| 2. | Aleksandr Beskrovniy (URS) |
17.53 |
| 3. | Zdzislaw Hoffmann (POL) |
17.42 |
| 4. | Lázaro Betancourt (CUB) |
17.40 |
| 5. | Ken Lorraway (AUS) |
17.35 |
Close
Discus
- Main competition this year: World Championships Discus Throw
More information RANK, DISTANCE ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | DISTANCE |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Yuriy Dumchev (URS) |
71.86 WR |
| 2. | Ben Plucknett (USA) |
71.32 |
| 3. | Art Burns (USA) |
71.18 |
| 4. | Luis Delís (CUB) |
71.06 |
| 5. | Imrich Bugár (TCH) |
70.72 |
Close
Hammer
Main article: 1983 Hammer Throw Year Ranking
More information RANK, DISTANCE ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | DISTANCE |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Sergey Litvinov (URS) |
84.14 |
| 2. | Igor Nikulin (URS) |
82.92 |
| 3. | Yuriy Tarasyuk (URS) |
81.18 |
| 4. | Juha Tiainen (FIN) |
81.02 |
| 5. | Yuriy Syedikh (URS) |
80.94 |
Close
Shot Put
- Main competition this year: World Championships Shot Put
More information RANK, DISTANCE ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | DISTANCE |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Udo Beyer (GDR) |
22.22 WR |
| 2. | Dave Laut (USA) |
21.94 |
| 3. | Edward Sarul (POL) |
21.68 |
| 4. | Kevin Akins (USA) |
21.61 |
| 5. | Mike Lehmann (USA) |
21.43 |
Close
Javelin (old design)
- Main competition this year: World Championships Javelin Throw
More information RANK, DISTANCE ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | DISTANCE |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Tom Petranoff (USA) |
99.72 |
| 2. | Detlef Michel (GDR) |
96.72 |
| 3. | Heino Puuste (URS) |
94.20 |
| 4. | Dainis Kula (URS) |
91.88 |
| 5. | Klaus Tafelmeier (FRG) |
91.44 |
Close
Pole Vault
- Main competition this year: World Championships Pole Vault
More information RANK, HEIGHT ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | HEIGHT |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Thierry Vigneron (FRA) |
5.83 |
| 2. | Pierre Quinon (FRA) |
5.82 |
| 3. | Billy Olson (USA) |
5.80 |
| 4. | Jeff Buckingham (USA) |
5.76 |
| 5. | Brad Pursley (USA) |
5.75 |
Close
Decathlon
- Main competition this year: World Championships Decathlon
More information RANK, POINTS ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | POINTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Jürgen Hingsen (FRG) |
8779 WR |
| 2. | Siegfried Wentz (FRG) |
8718 |
| 3. | Daley Thompson (GBR) |
8666 |
| 4. | Grigoriy Degtyaryev (URS) |
8538 |
| 5. | Uwe Freimuth (GDR) |
8501 |
Close
100 metres
- Main race this year: World Championships 100 metres
More information RANK, TIME ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Evelyn Ashford (USA) |
10.79 WR |
| 2. | Marlies Göhr (GDR) |
10.81 WR |
| 3. | Marita Koch (GDR) |
10.83 |
| 4. | Diane Williams (USA) |
10.94 |
| 5. | Silke Gladisch (GDR) |
11.03 |
Close
200 metres
- Main race this year: World Championships 200 metres
More information RANK, TIME ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Marita Koch (GDR) |
21.82 |
| 2. | Evelyn Ashford (USA) |
21.88 |
| 3. | Chandra Cheeseborough (USA) |
21.99 |
| 4. | Merlene Ottey (JAM) |
22.19 |
| 5. | Florence Griffith (USA) |
22.23 |
Close
400 metres
- Main race this year: World Championships 400 metres
More information RANK, TIME ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Jarmila Kratochvílová (TCH) |
47.99 WR |
| 2. | Tatána Kocembová (TCH) |
48.59 |
| 3. | Mariya Pinigina (URS) |
49.19 |
| 4. | Gaby Bußmann (FRG) |
49.75 |
| 5. |  Marita Payne (CAN) |
50.06 |
Close
800 metres
- Main race this year: World Championships 800 metres
More information RANK, TIME ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Jarmila Kratochvílová (TCH) |
1:53.28 WR |
| 2. | Yekaterina Podkopayeva (URS) |
1:55.96 |
| 3. | Lyubov Gurina (URS) |
1:56.11 |
| 4. | Zamira Zaytseva (URS) |
1:56.21 |
| 5. | Tatyana Providokhina (URS) |
1:56.81 |
Close
1,500 metres
- Main race this year: World Championships 1,500 metres
More information RANK, TIME ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Mary Decker (USA) |
3:57.12 |
| 2. | Ravilya Agletdinova (URS) |
3:59.31 |
| 3. |  Fiţa Lovin (ROU) |
4:00.12 |
| 4. | Yekaterina Podkopayeva (URS) |
4:00.3 |
| 5. | Maria Radu (ROU) |
4:00.62 |
Close
3,000 metres
- Main race this year: World Championships 3,000 metres
More information RANK, TIME ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Tatyana Kazankina (URS) |
8:32.08 |
| 2. | Alla Yushina (URS) |
8:34.02 |
| 3. | Galina Zakharova (URS) |
8:34.60 |
| 4. | Mary Decker (USA) |
8:34.62 |
| 5. | Svetlana Guskova (URS) |
8:35.06 |
Close
5,000 metres
More information RANK, TIME ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
|---|---|---|
| 1. |  Zola Budd (RSA) |
15:10.65 |
| 2. | Anna Domoradskaya (URS) |
15:19.0 |
Close
10,000 metres
More information RANK, TIME ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Raysa Sadreydinova (URS) |
31:27.58 WR |
| 2. | Lyudmila Baranova (URS) |
31:35.01 WR |
| 3. | Tatyana Pozdnyakova (URS) |
31:48.94 |
| 4. | Olga Bondarenko (URS) |
31:49.44 |
| 5. | Aurora Cunha (POR) |
31:52.85 |
Close
Half Marathon
More information RANK, TIME ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Joan Benoit (USA) |
1:09:10 |
Close
Marathon
- Main race this year: World Championships Marathon
More information RANK, TIME ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Joan Benoit (USA) |
2:22:43 |
| 2. |  Grete Waitz (NOR) |
2:25:17 |
| 3. | Julie Brown (USA) |
2:26:26 |
| 4. | Mary O'Connor (NZL) |
2:28:20 |
| 5. | Charlotte Teske (FRG) |
2:28:32 |
Close
100m Hurdles
- Main race this year: World Championships 100m Hurdles
More information RANK, TIME ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Bettine Jahn (GDR) |
12.42 |
| 2. |  Ginka Zagorcheva (BUL) |
12.49 |
| 3. | Kerstin Knabe (GDR) |
12.62 |
| 4. | Yordanka Donkova (BUL) |
12.65 |
| 5. | Cornelia Riefstahl (GDR) |
12.72 |
Close
400m Hurdles
- Main race this year: World Championships 400m Hurdles
More information RANK, TIME ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Anna Ambrazienė (URS) |
54.02 WR |
| 2. | Yekaterina Fesenko (URS) |
54.14 |
| 3. | Ellen Fiedler (GDR) |
54.20 |
| 4. | Petra Pfaff (GDR) |
54.64 |
| 5. | Yelena Filipishina (URS) |
54.72 |
Close
High Jump
- Main competition this year: World Championships High Jump
More information RANK, HEIGHT ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | HEIGHT |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Tamara Bykova (URS) |
2.04 WR |
| 2. | Ulrike Meyfarth (FRG) |
2.03 WR |
| 3. | Louise Ritter (USA) |
2.01 |
| 4. | Kerstin Brandt (GDR) |
1.99 |
| 5. | Larisa Kositsyna (URS) |
1.98 |
| Silvia Costa (CUB) | ||
| Valentina Poluyko (URS) |
Close
Long Jump
- Main competition this year: World Championships Long Jump
More information RANK, DISTANCE ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | DISTANCE |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Anişoara Cuşmir (ROU) |
7.43 |
| 2. | Heike Daute (GDR) |
7.14 |
| 3. | Svetlana Zorina (URS) |
7.04 |
| Tatyana Proskuryakova (URS) | ||
| 5. | Margarita Butkiené (URS) |
7.00 |
Close
Discus
- Main competition this year: World Championships Discus Throw
More information RANK, DISTANCE ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | DISTANCE |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Galina Savinkova (URS) |
73.26 |
| 2. | Gisela Beyer (GDR) |
70.96 |
| 3. | Mariya Petkova (BUL) |
70.74 |
| 4. | Martina Hellmann (GDR) |
70.26 |
| 5. | Zdeňka Šilhavá (TCH) |
70.00 |
Close
Shot Put
- Main competition this year: World Championships Shot Put
More information RANK, DISTANCE ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | DISTANCE |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Ilona Slupianek (GDR) |
22.40 |
| 2. | Helena Fibingerová (TCH) |
21.46 |
| 3. | Zdeňka Šilhavá (TCH) |
21.05 |
| 4. | Mihaela Loghin (ROU) |
20.95 |
| 5. | Nunu Abashidze (URS) |
20.94 |
Close
Javelin (old design)
- Main competition this year: World Championships Javelin Throw
More information RANK, DISTANCE ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | DISTANCE |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Tiina Lillak (FIN) |
74.76 |
| 2. | Tessa Sanderson (GBR) |
73.58 |
| 3. |  Sofia Sakorafa (GRE) |
72.28 |
| 4. | Antje Zöllkau (GDR) |
71.00 |
| 5. | Anna Verouli (GRE) |
70.90 |
Close
Heptathlon
- Main competition this year: World Championships Heptathlon
More information RANK, POINTS ...
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | POINTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Ramona Neubert (GDR) |
6935 WR |
| 2. | Sabine Paetz (GDR) |
6713 |
| 3. | Lyudmila Kolyadina (URS) |
6541 |
| 4. | Yekaterina Smirnova (URS) |
6536 |
| 5. | Anke Vater (GDR) |
6531 |
Close
- January 4 — Laura Douglas, Welsh hammer thrower
- January 7 — Marc Burns, Trinidad and Tobago athlete
- January 7 — Stéphanie Falzon, French hammer thrower
- January 11 — Cui Zhide, Chinese race walker
- January 16 — Trevell Quinley, American long jumper
- January 26 — Arturo Casado, Spanish middle distance runner
- January 28 — Chiara Rosa, Italian shot putter
- February 1 — Alice Timbilili, Kenyan distance runner
- February 2 — Athanasia Perra, Greek triple jumper
- March 10 — Yelena Bolsun, Russian sprinter
- March 14 — Jiang Qiuyan, Chinese race walker
- March 21 — Martina Hrašnová, Slovak hammer thrower
- March 21 — Jussi Heikkilä, Finnish hurdler
- March 22 — André Pollmächer, German long-distance runner
- March 23 — Mo Farah, Somali-British distance runner
- March 28 — Jurica Grabušić, Croatian hurdler
- April 25 — Nick Willis, New Zealand middle distance runner
- May 5 — Mabel Gay, Cuban triple jumper
- June 4 — Satoshi Osaki, Japanese long-distance runner
- July 12 — Yarelis Barrios, Cuban discus thrower
- July 18 — Mikk Pahapill, Estonian decathlete
- July 20 — Ignisious Gaisah, Ghanaian athlete
- August 2 — Zuzana Malíková, Slovak race walker
- August 4 — Fábio Gomes da Silva, Brazilian pole vaulter
- September 2 — Tatyana Kozlova, Russian race walker
- September 11 — Vivian Cheruiyot, Kenyan distance runner
- September 14 — Mestawet Tufa, Ethiopian distance runner
- October 2 — Michael Kipyego, Kenyan runner
- October 5 — Hamid Ezzine, Moroccan long-distance runner
- October 6 — Leonid Andreev, Uzbekistani decathlete and pole vaulter
- October 8 — Mihkel Kukk, Estonian javelin thrower
- October 10 — Dong Jimin, Chinese race walker
- October 22 — Mika Vasara, Finnish shot putter
- October 22 — Li Zhuhong, Chinese long-distance runner
- November 19 — Meseret Defar, Ethiopian distance runner
- December 2 — Yelena Priyma, Russian hammer thrower
- December 6 — Urszula Piwnicka, Polish javelin thrower
- December 8 — Aliaksandr Kazulka, Belarusian hammer thrower
- December 9 — Diana Pickler, American heptathlete
- December 13 — Janeth Jepkosgei, Kenyan middle distance runner
- December 22 — Viola Kibiwot, Kenyan middle distance runner
- December 27 — Tomo Morimoto, Japanese long-distance runner
- January 21 — Antonio Siddi (59), Italian athlete (b. 1923)
- January 24 — Juan Carlos Zabala (71), Argentine athlete (b. 1911)
- February 14 — Lina Radke (79), German athlete (b. 1903)
- September 12 — Sabin Carr (79), American pole vaulter (b. 1904)