Scribes pick Bolt
JAMAICA’S triple World and Olympics gold medallist Usain Bolt yesterday received the nod from international sports journalists as the Top Male Athlete for the second consecutive year.
The 23-year-old, who retained his position as the world’s top sprinter by shattering both his 100 and 200 metre world records with incredible times at the IAAF World Championships in Germany in August, received more in the AIPS votes than footballer Lionel Messi, tennis star Roger Federer, motor cyclist Valentino Rossi and swimmer Michael Phelps in an online poll which attracted the votes of 614 journalists from 98 nations.
The world’s fastest man clocked 9.58 seconds in the 100m and 19.19 seconds in the 200m in Berlin and then went on to set a third world record in the 4x100m relay in 37.10 seconds.
Despite failing to win a medal in Berlin, Russian pole vault queen Yelena Isinbayeva secured her third lien on the title as the Top Female Athlete in the poll organised by the International Sports Press Association. She previously won in 2006 and 2008.
Isinbayeva, a 27-year-old Army captain, became the first woman to vault over five metres indoors. She also holds an incredible 27 world records.
Meanwhile, Spain’s premier club Barcelona were voted 2009 AIPS Best Team of the Year. Led by Lionel Messi, Barcelona won FIFA’s World Club Cup in Abu Dhabi, the 2009 UEFA Champions League, the 2009 UEFA Super Cup. The team also became the first Spanish club to win the treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League.
The IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Berlin was voted as having the Best Press Facility of 2009. More than 3,700 journalists and media workers were accredited for the 2009 World Championships and were provided with free Internet and wireless access for the very first time at a World Championships.