Usain Bolt And Sanya Richards Win 2009 World Athlete Of The Year Awards

ATHLETICS - Usain Bolt and Sanya Richards have once been named male and female IAAF World Athletes of the Year. The awards were made after votes were cast by nearly 1,800 athletes, officials and journalists. Bolt earned earned his award after once again rewriting the record books by breaking the world record in the 100 metres and 200 metres - the same feat he achieved at the Olympics in Beijing - at the World Championships in Berlin, meaning Bolt has been named male IAAF World Athlete for the second year in succession. Richards had won the 400 metres at the World Championships in Berlin, as well as all six women's 400 metres races at the Golden League Series for which Richards won a share of the $1m jackpot (£605,000) offered to athletes who made a clean sweep of their event. Sanya Richards was winning her second IAAF World Athlete of the Year award, having first won the award in 2006

After being presented with his award, Bolt said his aim is to go through the 2010 season unbeaten. Bolt said he will compete at seven of the fourteen track and field meetings which make up the new Diamond League series. As part of the series, the aim of which is to raise the profile of athletics worldwide and in part capitalise on the increased coverage athletics has received since Usain Bolt burst onto the scene in 2008, Bolt is due to have several showdowns with the best of the American sprinters Tyson Gay. Gay himself has said he wants a 100m rematch with Bolt at the New York City meeting on June 12. "That would make track and field huge again in the United States," said Gay at a Diamond League launch.

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