Dutch Athlete of the Year

The Dutch Athlete of the Year (Dutch: atleet van het jaar) is an annual award given to the most distinguished competitor in the sport of athletics from the Netherlands by the Royal Dutch Athletics Federation (KNAU).^[1] A shortlist is drawn up by a group of federation officials and sports journalists and then goes to a vote to the public.^[1][2] The award is presented at the annual end-of-year gala of the federation.^[2][3][4]

Middle- and long-distance runner Sifan Hassan was Dutch Athlete of the Year in 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2024.

Sprinter and heptathlete Dafne Schippers won from 2011 to 2017, more times than any other athlete.

Sprinter Tinus Osendarp was the first winner for 1935, when it was called the Sauer Cup.

The award for 1935 was inaugurated in 1936 as the Sauer Cup (Dutch: Sauer-beker). It was renamed to the KNAU Cup in 1947, as the eponymous Sauer had collaborated with the Nazis during World War II.^[5][6] Initially a mixed-gender award, the best Dutch male and female athletes were recognised separately from 1959 onwards. The men's award was called the Herman van Leeuwen Cup during this period, while the women's award continued as the KNAU Cup. Since 2005, the awards have been known as the Dutch Athlete of the Year,^[7][8] and since 2018, it is again a mixed-gender award.^[1]

Junior athletes also gained recognition separately through the mixed-gender Albert Spree Cup (Dutch: Albert Spree-beker) that was first awarded in 1951.^[5] From 1959, male and female juniors were recognised separately; junior female athletes gained recognition through the Fanny Blankers-Koen Plaquette, while the award for junior male athletes continued as the Albert Spree Cup.^[5] These were replaced in 2006 by a mixed-gender junior award known as the Talent of the Year. Since 2018, this award has been merged with the Dutch Athlete of the Year award. In the years between 2011 and 2018, a separate award for para-athletes also existed.^[1]

List of winners

1935–1946

Sauer Cup^{[note 1]}

Year	Athlete	Ref.
1935	Tinus Osendarp	[9]
1936	Wil van Beveren	[10]
1937	Fanny Koen	[11]
1938	Nel van Balen Blanken	[12]
1939	Jan Brasser	[13]
1940	Fanny Blankers-Koen	[14]
1941	Wim Peters	[15]
1942	Chris Berger	[16]
1943	Fanny Blankers-Koen	[17]
1944	not awarded[note 2]	[5]
1945	not awarded[note 2]	[5]
1946	Women's relay team[note 3]	[19]

1947–1958

KNAU Cup^{[note 4]}

Year	Athlete	Ref.
1947	Jef Lataster	[20]
1948	Frits de Ruijter	[21]
1949	Joop Overdijk	[22]
1950	Wim Slijkhuis	[23]
1951	Nico Lutkeveld	[24]
1952	Puck Brouwer	[25]
1953	Wil Lust	[26]
1954	Janus van der Zande	[27]
1955	Cor Aafjes	[28]
1956	Frans Künen	[29]
1957	Hannie Bloemhof	[30]
1958	Dini Hobers	[31]

1959–2004

Herman van Leeuwen Cup and KNAU Cup^{[note 5]}

Year	Men	Women	Ref.
1959	Eef Kamerbeek	Gerda Kraan	[32]
1960	Eef Kamerbeek	Joke Bijleveld	[33]
1961	Cees Koch	Gerda Kraan	[34]
1962	Cees Koch	Gerda Kraan	[35]
1963	Henk Evers	Lia Hinten	[36]
1964	Frans Luitjes	Tilly van der Made	[37]
1965	Fred van Herpen	Ilja Laman & Hilde Slaman	[38]
1966	Leo de Winter	Corrie Bakker	[39]
1967	Piet Olofsen	Mia Gommers	[40]
1968	Ed de Noorlander	Mia Gommers	[41]
1969	Ben Lesterhuis	Wilma van den Berg	[42]
1970	Bram Wassenaar	Ilja Keizer-Laman	[43]
1971	Egbert Nijstad	Els van Noorduyn	[44]
1972	Jos Hermens	Ilja Keizer-Laman	[45]
1973	Haico Scharn	Mieke van Wissen-Sterk	[46]
1974	Jos Hermens	Ciska Janssen-Jansen	[47]
1975	Jos Hermens	Mieke van Doorn	[48]
1976	Ruud Wielart	Ria Stalman	[49]
1977	Ruud Wielart	Mirjam van Laar	[50]
1978	Gerard Tebroke	Sylvia Barlag	[5]
1979	Harry Schulting	Sylvia Barlag	[51]
1980	Gerard Nijboer	Sylvia Barlag	[5]
1981	Hans Koeleman	Els Vader	[5]
1982	Gerard Nijboer	Carla Beurskens	[5]
1983	Rob Druppers	Ria Stalman	[5]
1984	Erik de Bruin	Ria Stalman	[5]
1985	Rob Druppers	Carla Beurskens	[5]
1986	Han Kulker	Nelli Cooman	[52]
1987	Han Kulker	Elly van Hulst	[5]
1988	Robert de Wit	Elly van Hulst	[53]
1989	Emiel Mellaard	Elly van Hulst	[54]
1990	Erik de Bruin	Ellen van Langen	[55]
1991	Erik de Bruin	Letitia Vriesde	[56]
1992	Robert de Wit	Ellen van Langen	[57]
1993	Bert van Vlaanderen	not awarded	[5]
1994	Bert van Vlaanderen	Nelli Fiere-Cooman	[58]
1995	Bert van Vlaanderen	Sharon Jaklofsky	[5]
1996	Marko Koers	Sharon Jaklofsky	[59]
1997	Marko Koers	Corrie de Bruin	[5]
1998	Robin Korving	Corrie de Bruin	[5]
1999	Kamiel Maase	Lieja Koeman	[60]
2000	Simon Vroemen	Lieja Koeman	[61]
2001	Kamiel Maase	Letitia Vriesde	[1]
2002	Simon Vroemen	Jacqueline Poelman	[1]
2003	Kamiel Maase	Lornah Kiplagat	[1]
2004	Chiel Warners	Karin Ruckstuhl	[62]

2005–present

Athlete of the Year^{[note 6]}

Year	Men	Women	Ref.
2005	Rens Blom	Lornah Kiplagat	[7]
2006	Bram Som	Karin Ruckstuhl	[8]
2007	Rutger Smith	Lornah Kiplagat	[63]
2008	Rutger Smith	Lornah Kiplagat	[64]
2009	Martijn Nuijens	Jolanda Keizer	[65]
2010	Eelco Sintnicolaas	Yvonne Hak	[66]
2011	Eelco Sintnicolaas	Dafne Schippers	[67]
2012	Churandy Martina	Dafne Schippers	[68]
2013	Ignisious Gaisah	Dafne Schippers	[69]
2014	Eelco Sintnicolaas	Dafne Schippers	[70]
2015	Liemarvin Bonevacia	Dafne Schippers	[71]
2016	Churandy Martina	Dafne Schippers	[72]
2017	Menno Vloon	Dafne Schippers	[73]
2018	Sifan Hassan		[74]
2019	Sifan Hassan		[3]
2020	not awarded[note 7]		[1]
2021	Sifan Hassan		[4]
2022	Femke Bol		[2]
2023	Femke Bol		[75]
2024	Sifan Hassan		[76]

Notes

1. The Sauer Cup was awarded in March for performances in the previous year. In this table the year of those performances is listed.
2. There were famine and fighting in the Netherlands during the last two years of World War II. In addition, there were athletics equipment shortages at the time.^[18]
3. The women's 4 × 100 m relay team members were Fanny Blankers-Koen, Martha Adema, Nettie Timmer, and Gerda Koudijs.
4. The KNAU Cup was awarded in March or April for performances in the previous year. In this table the year of those performances is listed.
5. The Herman van Leeuwen Cup and the KNAU Cup were awarded in January–April for performances in the previous year. In this table the year of the performances is listed.
6. The Athlete of the Year was awarded in November or December for performances in that year or in January or February for performances in the previous year. In this table the year of the performances is listed.
7. Not awarded due to the COVID-19 pandemic