By Bob Ramsak
MONTE CARLO, Monaco (23-Nov) -- Olympic champions and world record holders Usain Bolt of Jamaica and Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia were named the 2008 IAAF World Athletes of the Year at the World Athletics Gala here tonight.
Bolt, 22, captivated the imagination of the sporting world when he captured three gold medals at the Olympic Games in Beijing in August, sweeping the 100 and 200 meters and running the third leg on the victorious 4x100m relay. His run of 9.69 seconds in the 100 and 19.30 in the 200m were both world records, as was the 37.10 performance by the Jamaican relay squad. In June, Bolt set his first world record in the 100, beating world champion Tyson Gay and running 9.72 at the Reebok Grand Prix in New York City.
Isinbayeva, 26, raised her own world record in the pole vault three times outdoors in 2008, first to 5.03m in Rome and 5.04m in Monaco in June, and again to 5.05m when she successfully defended her Olympic title in Beijing. It was the second consecutive Olympic Games in which Isinbayeva set a world record at the Olympic Games.
"I have a motto that anything is possible, but this really is such an honor," said the improbably tall Bolt, who became Jamaica's first-ever Olympic 100m champion. "Just to be included with every great name in the sport is wonderful. I'll try to do it year after year."
"I'm very proud; it feels like the first time," said Isinbayeva, who took Athlete of the Year honors in 2004 and 2005. "I will make a very special place of honor for this trophy."
While Bolt was an overwhelming favorite for the sport's top annual prize (he was selected over double Olympic champion Kenenisa Bekele and world marathon record holder Haile Gebrselassie), Isinbayeva reportedly narrowly edged Ethiopian distance star Tirunesh Dibaba, who produced an unprecedented Olympic double victory in the 5000 and 10,000m in Beijing, and also set a world record in the 5000m with 14:11.15 in Oslo in June.
Dibaba, along with Czech Olympic javelin champion Barbora Spotakova, shared the award for performance of the year. Spotakova broke the javelin world record with a 72.28m throw at the World Athletics Final in Stuttgart in September. Olympic 110m hurdles champion Dayron Robles of Cuba, who broke the world record in his event with 12.87 run in June, won the men's performance of the year award.
Kenyan teenager Pamela Jelimo, who produced a nearly unprecedented rise from obscurity to finish the season undefeated in the 800m this season, won the Revelation of the year award. Jelimo, who captured the Olympic title and the $1 million IAAF Jackpot, didn't take up the event until April.
Both Bolt and Isinbayeva each received $100,000 as part of their award.
PHOTO CREDIT: Usain Bolt and Yelena Isinbayeva at the Fairmont Hotel in Monte Carlo (Photo by Bob Ramsak, Race Results Weekly)
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