Bolt tipped for World Athletics Award
Monte Carlo, Monaco – The top athletes of 2009 will be announced here tonight during the World Athletics Gala at the Salles
des Etoiles.
The World Male and Female Athlete, Coach and Performance of the Year will be revealed at the annual function in a country famous for its year-round glitz and glamour.
There seems to be no doubt as to who will walk away with the Male Athlete of the Year Award. As he usually is on the track, triple World Champion and 100m and 200m world record-holder Usain Bolt of Jamaica is way ahead of the competition.
The line-up includes Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele, who in 2009 became the first person to complete the 5,000m/10,000m double at the World Championships and remained undefeated in both events, as well as the 3000m.
Also present are world 100m silver medallist Tyson Gay of the USA; Australian pole vault world champion Steve Hooker and javelin world champ Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway.
Hooker has declined the invitation of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) to attend tonight’s ceremony, as has Female nominee Valerie Vili of New Zealand, who won the shot put in Berlin.
The other nominees include Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva, who set the four highest marks in the world this year, including a couple of world records.
Also in the running are Croatian high jump world champion Blanka Vlasic; hammer throw gold medallist Anita Wlodarczyk of Poland, and favourite, Jamaican-born American 400m runner Sanya Richards.
Richards won the award in 2006 but had fingers crossed as she told the Sunday Observer, “This year was just a dream season for me. I feel good. I just found out that I won the Jesse Owens Award. I know I’m America’s number one female athlete so I’m hoping I’m the world number one.”
The finalists for both awards were selected following a three-week poll with members of the IAAF’s Athletics family worldwide, with votes from 1,799 recipients, including Council Members, Federations, Committee & Commission Members as well as the International Press.
His Serene Highness, Prince Albert II of Monaco, is patron of tonight’s function.
