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Usain Bolt, Bekele up for IAAF Athlete of the Year 2009
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Usain Bolt is leading the field as a nominee for the 2009 Athlete of the Year award presented by the International Association of Athletics (IAAF). The Jamaican superstar has sprinted his way back into headlines with the nomination and could take the title for the second year in a row.
Bolt faces some fast competition for the title--fellow sprinter and American 100 meter record holder Tyson Gay received the noteworthy nomination, as did distance great Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia. While Gay ran in the shadow of Bolt for the past two years--Bolt has a 25 race win streak going since 2007-- Bekele won double gold at this year's IAAF World Championships in the 10k and 5k, the latter a distance he hasn't lost at in three years! Bekele has also won the IAAF Athlete of the Year title twice before.
- Read about Bolt breaking the 200 meter world record
- Click here for all of your Bolt and Boston running news
Usain Bolt proved himself more than worthy of the award over the past year after breaking his own world records in both the 100 and 200 meters at the World Championships in Berlin this August. Bolt clocked in at 9.58 seconds for the 100 and 19.19 for the 200 and also helped his Jamaican team mates win gold and set the world record in the 4x100 relay.
In addition to Bolt, Gay and Bekele, pole vaulter Steve Hooker of Australia and javelin thrower Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway also received male nominations. Fellow Jamaican Sanya Richards leads the female contenders, but pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia, shot putter Valerie Vili of New Zealand and high jumper Blanka Vlasic of Croatia will all serve as steady competition. The awards will be announced on November 22, 2009.
Usain Bolt sprints to world record
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