Once again, the world’s fastest man, Usain Bolt, is in the history books as he and Allison Felix were on Sunday named IAAF’s athletes of the year 2012.
A man of many records, Jamaica Sprinting icon Bolt created another first on Sunday afternoon when he became the only four-time winner of the IAAF World male athlete of the year (AOY) award, at the IAAF awards ceremony inside the Pullman Skipper Hotel in Barcelona, Spain.
Multi-talented American Sprinter Allyson was named world female athlete of the year, an auspicious coincidence, nine years after herself and Bolt made the first trip to the IAAF awards ceremony in Monaco as bright-eyed recipients of the Rising Star Award.
Bolt’s Coach, Glen Mills also walked away with the coaching lifetime Achievement Award in a very memorable night for the Jamaicans.
The World’s fastest man who holds the 100m and 200m world record scorched the competition at the London Olympic Games to become the first man to successfully defend 100m and 200m Olympic titles, before leading Jamaica to a world-record blitz in the 4x100m relay.
Bolt also helped himself to the Samsung Diamond League 100m title as another Spellbound season of Bolt-mania came to a close.
Felix was also elated expressing gratitude of her first award, which follows a triple gold medal performance at the London Olympics (200m, 4x100m and 4x400m).
The Caribbeans swept the world Rising Star award category, with Olympic Javelin Champion Keshorn Walcott from Trandad and Tobago and the Bahama’s Authonique Strachan the world Junior Championships double Sprint Champion, taking the male and female prizes respectively.
Rudisha won the male performance of the year award for his 1:40:97 world record run at the Olympics, while the world record-breaking USA women’s 4x100m team won the female equivalent.
Merritt won the Inspirational Award, while Lyn Ventris and Robert Lida were the female and male world Masters Athletes of the year awardees.
