Ximena Restrepo yesterday became the first woman to be elected vice-president of the ruling athletics body IAAF in its 117-year history.
In addition, six other woman were elected as ordinary members into the powerful IAAF council for the biggest female representation the federation has ever seen at the top with now eight members.
The IAAF has gender equality on the field of play and aims to achieve the same by 2027 within the organisation.
The eight women on the 27-strong council are two more than a mandatory six under new regulations.
The elected ordinary members are Anna Riccardi of France, Morocco’s Nawal el Moutawakel, Dutch Sylvia Barlag, Beatrice Ayikoru of Uganda, Abby Hoffman of Canada and Wang Nan of China.
The eighth woman will be a yet to be named athletes’ representative, and the number could even grow to nine if Oceania sends a woman as area representative to replace Geoffrey Gardner who was elected vice-president.
Restrepo, who won a first ever Olympic athletics medal for her native Colombia with a 400m bronze in 1992, praised freshly re-elected IAAF president Sebastian Coe for his role on the road to equality.
“I am really honoured. I am here because of you and the changes made. Women have more opportunities now. I hope I can do a good job,” she said.
Coe said: “Ximena is a former athlete which is tremendously helpful when you’re driving the sport forward. I am delighted that we have for the very first time elected a female vice president and that she will be joined by seven other women on council. This is a historic moment.”
The president also highlighted the road to 2027 and said “it is important that sport looks like the world.”