Dutch Athlete of the Year



The Dutch Athlete of the Year (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). A shortlist is drawn up by a group of federation officials and sports journalists and then goes to a vote to the public. The award is presented at the annual end-of-year gala of the federation.

The award for 1935 was inaugurated in 1936 as the Sauer Cup (Sauer-beker). It was renamed to the KNAU Cup in 1947, as the eponymous Sauer had collaborated with the Nazis during World War II. 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, and since 2018, it is again a mixed-gender award.

Junior athletes also gained recognition separately through the mixed-gender Albert Spree Cup (Albert Spree-beker) that was first awarded in 1951. 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. 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.