Steele captures World Athletics Photograph of the Year

Michael Steele’s image of Tigist Assefa and Sifan Hassan colliding during the women’s marathon at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games has been selected as the World Athletics Photograph of the Year.

The third award announced as part of the World Athletics Awards 2024, the World Athletics Photograph of the Year shines a spotlight on some of the outstanding images captured by professional photographers.

From the 114 images that were submitted, a panel of judges – comprising Valerie Adams, Raquel Cavaco Nunes, Mathieu Forget, Pascal Rondeau and Christian Taylor – narrowed the entries to 11 shortlisted images and three finalists before deciding on the winner.

Tigist Assefa and Sifan Hassan collide during the marathon at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games (© Michael Steele)

“Many thanks for this award and the time given by the judges, and especially to World Athletics for the continuing support for all the international photographers who are shooting athletics throughout the season,” said Steele, whose photo captures Ethiopia’s Assefa and Hassan of the Netherlands during the final stages of the marathon.

“It was especially nice to capture this picture in the final event of the athletics schedule at the Olympics in Paris this summer,” added Steele. “It was quite an incredible finish to the women’s marathon, with Hassan and Assefa battling for gold. 

“I’d found this position 200 metres away from the finish line and there were huge swarms of people gathered either side of the rails. When they came around this final bend, they were just locked together. How they didn’t fall to the ground – they actually collided with each other on the inside of the rail. Hassan took the inside, but they managed to stay on their feet. 

“Hassan just sprinted from that moment on, to the finish line, and nothing was going to deny her gold. It was a nice moment to capture.”

Steele has been a professional sports photographer since 1986 and has worked as a staff photographer at Getty Images since 1999. Athletics is one of the many different sports that he covers.

Further World Athletics Awards announcements will be made this weekend, with the World Athletes of the Year and Rising Stars being revealed on Sunday (1 December).

World Athletics