Image by Holton on Flickr
It seems the fastest man on earth, Usain Bolt, might become Athlete of the Year again in 2009. Yesterday, the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) announced the nominations for the 2009 awards. In 2008, Usain Bolt and Russia’s Yelena Isinbayeva were crowned as the male and female world athletes of the year. They each received a $100,000 prize.
The finalists for this year's men's award are Bolt of Jamaica, Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia, Tyson Gay of the United States (100 meters), Steven Hooker of Australia (pole vault), and Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway (javelin throw).
Bolt, a sprinter and three time Olympic gold medalist, holds the world record for the 100 meters, the 200 meters and, along with his teammates, the 4x100 meters relay. At the 2008 summer Olympics, Bolt became the first man to win three sprinting events at a single Olympics since Carl Lewis in 1984, and the first man to set world records in all three at a single Olympics.
Another favored contender to receive the Athlete of the Year honor is Bekele, a long-distance runner who is the world record holder for the 5000 meters and 10000 meters. In 2004, he ran the 5000 meters in 12:37:35. In 2006, he completed the 10000 meters in 26:17:63.
The female finalists are Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia (pole vault), Sanya Richards of the United States (400 meters), Valerie Vili of New Zealand (shot put), Blanka Vlasic of Croatia (high jump) and Anita Wlodarczyk of Poland (hammer thrower).
The winners of the Athlete of the Year awards will be announced on November 22, 2009 at the World Athletics Gala in Monaco.
For more info: Visit www.IAAF.org
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