Bolt retains World Athlete Award

Bolt retained his World Athlete of the Year award from 2008 winning the award again for the second successive year. His double record breaking performances in the 100m and 200m finals at the World Championships in Berlin, matching his 100-200 double from the 2008 Beijing Olympics was more than enough to land him the prestigious award.

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Usain Bolt and Sanya Richards after receiving their awards

Jamaican born Sanya Richards of the United States was the winner of the female World Athlete of the Year award for 2009 for her continued domination of the 400m race to win at all six Golden League meetings in Europe to claim a share of the $1 million jackpot.

Difficult year for Bolt after Car crash

“It’s been an amazing year for me,” said Bolt, whose training was hampered after he injured his foot when he crashed his car in April. “I had to refocus my goals and put in a lot of hard work. I did extremely well and I’m proud of myself.”