Post-Olympic years are usually considered down years. But it wasn't necessarily the case for Japan's track and field scene, which was highlighted by some notable feats and accomplishments in 2017.

And the country's elite athletes were rewarded for their hard work throughout the year at the annual Athletics Award at a Tokyo hotel on Tuesday evening.

Race walker Hirooki Arai was given the athlete of the year honor, while the bronze medal-winning men's 4x100 relay team of Shuhei Tada, Shota Iizuka, Yoshihide Kiryu, Kenji Fujimitsu and Aska Cambridge won the outstanding award.