Asafa Powell Wins Male Athlete of the Year Award

[Mosiah]

As expected, of course. Sanya Richards is the winner of the women's award.

[Sickko]

RE: Asafa Powell Wins Male Athlete of the Year Award

Are you still in MoBay? I did call you back last night BTW but got your voice mail

[Mosiah]

RE: Asafa Powell Wins Male Athlete of the Year Award

Took a spin around the town and decided to just drive back to Kingston.

[Sickko]

RE: Asafa Powell Wins Male Athlete of the Year Award

That bad??? wow, I wouldnt know to be honest, when I wantto go out I head to Ochie or Negril or I entertain at home....

[Karl]

RE: Asafa Powell Wins Male Athlete of the Year Award

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><SPAN class=TopStory>Top athletes</SPAN>
<SPAN class=Subheadline>Powell, Richards win IAAF awards</SPAN></TD></TR><TR><TD>AFP
Monday, November 13, 2006
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<P class=StoryText align=justify>MONTE CARLO, MONACO (AFP) - Jamaican world 100m record holder Asafa Powell and American 400m queen Sanya Richards were yesterday named athletes of the year by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) at the 2006 World Athletics Gala here.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Powell is the second Jamaican to win this prestigious award, following in the footsteps of Merlene Ottey, who did same in 1990.
And Chinese star Liu Xiang won the award for the performance of the year for his stunning world record breaking 12.88sec in the 110m hurdles at Lausanne.<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width=330 align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD><SPAN class=Description>Jamaican-born, US athlete Sanya Richards (left) and World 100m record holder Asafa Powell of Jamaica hold their 'Athlete of the Year Awards' during the 2006 World Athletics Gala in Monaco, yesterday. (Photo: AP) </SPAN></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><P class=StoryText align=justify>Ethiopian Meseret Defar took the women's best performance honours for breaking the 5,000m world record in New York City.
Powell and Richards were also given a cheque for US$100,000 each.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Their victories were hardly surprising as the pair both went unbeaten throughout the season and shared the Golden League jackpot with American 400m runner Jeremy Wariner.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Powell twice equalled his own 100m record mark of 9.77sec, which he shares with drugs-tainted American Olympic champion Justin Gatlin, who may yet be stripped of his share of the record.
Richards took 15 straight victories at 400m and broke the 22-year-old American record with 48.70sec to become the seventh fastest woman of all time.<P class=StoryText align=justify>"Last year I wanted to win this title, but I didn't because I got injured," said Powell.
Only Liu, who is preparing for the Asian Games, was not in Monaco to accept his award.
Other prize winners were Morocco's Hicham El Guerrouj, Bulgaria's Stefka Kostadinova and Czech's Jan Zelezny with distinguished career awards, Estonia's Margus Hunt won the rising star award and Woldemeskel Kostre of Ethiopia won the coaches award.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Previous World Athletes of the Year<P class=StoryText align=justify>1988 Carl Lewis (USA) / Florence Griffith-Joyner (USA)
1989 Roger Kingdom (USA) / Ana Fidelia Quirot (CUB)
1990 Steve Backley (GBR) / Merlene Ottey (JAM)
1991 Carl Lewis (USA) / Katrin Krabbe (GER)
1992 Kevin Young (USA) / Heike Henkel (GER)
1993 Colin Jackson (GBR) / Sally Gunnell (GBR)
1994 Noureddine Morceli (ALG) / Jackie Joyner-Kersee (USA)
1995 Jonathan Edwards (GBR) / Gwen Torrence (USA)
1996 Michael Johnson (USA) / Svetlana Masterkova (RUS)
1997 Wilson Kipketer (DEN) / Marion Jones (USA)
1998 Haile Gebrselassie (ETH) / Marion Jones (USA)
1999 Michael Johnson (USA) / Gabriela Szabo (ROM)
2000 Jan Zelezny (CZE) / Marion Jones (USA)
2001 Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR) / Stacy Dragila (USA)
2002 Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR) / Paula Radcliffe (GBR)
2003 Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR) / Hestrie Cloete (RSA)
2004 Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) / Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS)
2005 Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) / Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS)<P class=StoryText align=justify>

[Karl]

RE: Asafa Powell Wins Male Athlete of the Year Award

Big night for Jamaica <DIV class=KonaBody>

Anthony Foster, Freelance Writer


Prince Albert II of Monaco (left) kisses U.S runner Sanya Richards while Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell (right) watches at the World Athletics gala in MonteCarlo yesterday. Richards and Powell received the 'Athletes of the Year' award. - reuters

monte carlo, monaco

Jamaica-born American Olympic 4x400m gold medalist Sanya Richards believes Jamaica was the big winner at last night's IAAF World Athlete of the Year awards ceremony.

World 100m record holder Asafa Powell and Richards were named World Athletes of the Year by the IAAF. Both winners received US$100,000 along with trophies at the World Athletics Gala in the Salle des Etoiles of the Sporting Club d'Et, Monte Carlo.

Richards said to have two Jamaican-born athletes winning the prestigious awards of male and female Athletes of the Year, was really something special.

"It's a really good feeling," said Richards who got the nod over another Jamaican, Sherone Simpson, and Ethiopian distance runner Meseret Defar, the Olympic champion in 5,000 metres. Simpson holds the year's best times for 100m and 200m.

Proud of heritage

"I think that Jamaica is such a small country, but in track &amp; field we have produced great athletes, and it's something that the whole world gets a chance to see when Asafa and I get to head the stage like this," added the woman, who broke the 23-year-old American 400m record of 48.83 seconds by running 48.70 in her last outing in September.

"I am excited to be a part of it, I never forget my Jamaican heritage, and I never discard it," she said while making it clear she visits Jamaica often.

Richards, who attended Vaz Prep and Immaculate Conception High, said after seeing Russian Yelena Isinbayeva taking the crown for the past two years, she had some doubts about winning it.

"To have done it, and to be sharing the stage with Asafa Powell, who I think is not only a great athlete, but a great person, is just an amazing accomplishment for me, " she added.

Meanwhile, Powell twice equalled his world record 9.77 seconds in the 100 metres. During the year he went under 10 seconds for the 100m, a record 12 times.

"It's a great feeling," was how the soft-spoken sprinter described his achievement.

"To accomplish this shows that people have recognised what I have done," added the man who first set the world record in June 2005 in Athens, Greece, but then equalled it on June 11 at the British Grand Prix in Gateshead, England, and again on August 18 at the Weltklasse in Zurich, Switzerland.

More of a motivation

Powell who defeated the challenge of Lithuanian discus thrower Virgilijus Alekna - the two-time world and Olympic champion - and hurdler Liu Xiang of China, said this award means a lot for Jamaica.

"I's more motivation for me to come back better next year," he pointed out.

IAAF president Lamine Diack congratulated both winners. "You both fully desereve your honours after dominating your events all season, but most importantly, you are both in your early 20s and have personalities and educational background to serve as role models to young people all over the world," he told the winners.

Simpson was also beaten for the Performance of the year award, which went to Meseret Defar for breaking the 5000m world record in New York City.

The men's top performance went to Liu Xiang of China for his world record 12.88 over 110m hurdles at the IAAF Super Grand Prix in Lausanne. </DIV>