Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt and 400-meter runner Sanya Richards of the United States won their second IAAF World Athlete of the Year awards on Sunday.
Bolt retained the honor by winning the 100- and 200-meter finals in record times at the World Championships in Berlin, matching his 100-200 double from the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He won a third gold in the 400-meter relay.
“It’s been an amazing year for me,” said Bolt, whose training was hampered after he injured his foot when he crashed his car in April.
“I had to refocus my goals and put in a lot of hard work. I did extremely well and I’m proud of myself.”
Richards, the 2006 winner, got her first major individual gold medal at the worlds in August. She also won at all six Golden League meetings in Europe to claim a share of the $1 million jackpot given to athletes who swept their event.
“I am so excited and overwhelmed,” said the Jamaican-born Richards, who was a favorite in Beijing but took bronze. “You work so hard to be a world champion. It’s right up there with winning the title in Berlin.”
Lamine Diack, president of track and field’s world governing body, praised Bolt for raising his performances to “an unimaginable level.”
“We need stars in the sport,” the IAAF chief said. “He brings a lot of prestige to our sport and is one of the best-known people on the planet.”
The 23-year-old Bolt said he aimed to go unbeaten through the 2010 season, when he will compete at seven of the 14 meets that will make up the new global Diamond League circuit.
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