TORONTO - Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt has won the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award for his record-breaking performance in the Beijing Olympics.
TORONTO - Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt has won the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award for his record-breaking performance in the Beijing Olympics.
Bolt became the first man to win gold in the 100m, 200m and 400m relay in world record times in the same Olympiad.
He received the award from Laureus World Sports Academy member Michael Johnson yesterday, the eve of the Festival of Excellence track and field meet in Toronto.
The other nominees for the award were: Olympic swimming sensation Michael Phelps, Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal, motor sport racers Lewis Hamilton and Valentino Rossi, and Portugal and Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo.
Meanwhile, Bolt will warm up for a European campaign focused on the August World Championships by contesting the 100m at the inaugural Festival of Excellence athletics meeting in Toronto, Canada, today.
Among those challenging Bolt will be Americans Bernard Williams, a 2000 Olympic gold medallist in the 4x100m relay, and Shawn Crawford, the 2004 Olympic champion in 200m.
World record-holder Bolt will race his first 100m since injuring his foot in the wake of a road accident in April.
But Bolt showed the car crash hadn't slowed him significantly when he posted the fastest 150m ever run in a street race in England on May 17.
However, the chances that the Jamaican will break his 100m world record of 9.69sec on the brand-new track at the University of Toronto's Varsity Centre are slim, according to his agent Ricky Simms.
"But you can never count him out," said Simms. - Sapa-AFP
Sprint king Bolt set for 100m race
TORONTO - Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt has won the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award for his record-breaking performance in the Beijing Olympics.
TORONTO - Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt has won the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award for his record-breaking performance in the Beijing Olympics.
Bolt became the first man to win gold in the 100m, 200m and 400m relay in world record times in the same Olympiad.
He received the award from Laureus World Sports Academy member Michael Johnson yesterday, the eve of the Festival of Excellence track and field meet in Toronto.
The other nominees for the award were: Olympic swimming sensation Michael Phelps, Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal, motor sport racers Lewis Hamilton and Valentino Rossi, and Portugal and Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo.
Meanwhile, Bolt will warm up for a European campaign focused on the August World Championships by contesting the 100m at the inaugural Festival of Excellence athletics meeting in Toronto, Canada, today.
Among those challenging Bolt will be Americans Bernard Williams, a 2000 Olympic gold medallist in the 4x100m relay, and Shawn Crawford, the 2004 Olympic champion in 200m.
World record-holder Bolt will race his first 100m since injuring his foot in the wake of a road accident in April.
But Bolt showed the car crash hadn't slowed him significantly when he posted the fastest 150m ever run in a street race in England on May 17.
However, the chances that the Jamaican will break his 100m world record of 9.69sec on the brand-new track at the University of Toronto's Varsity Centre are slim, according to his agent Ricky Simms.
"But you can never count him out," said Simms. - Sapa-AFP