Sprinters Asafa Powell of Jamaica and Sanya Richards of the United States were named as the International Association of Athletics Federations’ (IAAF) Athletes of the Year as announced during the World Athletics Gala held at Salle des Etoiles in Monte Carlo, Monaco on Sunday.Powell, 23, twice equalled the world 100m record of 9.77 he set last year. He won 16 races and a share of the US$1mil IAAF Golden League Jackpot after winning all six races in Golden League competitions.
Sanya Richards, 21, was undefeated over 400m outdoors and also captured a US$250,000 share of the Golden League Jackpot. She won 13 races, including the year’s five fastest performances capped by an American record of 48.70 at the World Cup in Athens in September. The previous record of 48.83 was set by Valerie Brisco at the 1984 Olympic Games, six months before Richards was born. Her performance was the fastest in the world since the 1996 Olympic Games.
Two world record breakers were given awards for Performances of the Year. Liu Xiang of China clocked 12.88 in the 110m hurdles in Lausanne and Meseret Defar of Ethiopia ran 14:24.53 over 5,000m in New York City.
Tags: Sports, Athletics, IAAF, Golden League, Asafa Powell, Sanya Richards, Liu Xiang, Meserat Defar, Monte Carlo, Monaco, Salle des Etoiles
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