The Hindu : Sport / Athletics : Isinbayeva, Bekele voted year's best

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Sep 21, 2004

Sport

Sport - Athletics

Isinbayeva, Bekele voted year's best

MONTE CARLO, SEPT. 20. Ethiopian distance runner Kenenisa Bekele and Russian pole-vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva scooped the male and female World Athlete of the Year awards on Sunday.

Isinbayeva has set nine career world records, including eight this year.

She holds the world record mark of 4.92 metres, set in Brussels, Belgium earlier this month — although she claimed on Sunday to have cleared 5 metres "in training."

She clinched gold at the Athens Games, as did Bekele, who won the 10,000 metres and took the silver in the 5,000.

"I won all the great competitions and had many world records," Isinbayeva said. "I did all I could possibly do this season.

"Money is not important for me," she added. "I like to jump for the crowd and the people who support me. Money comes second."

She cleared 4.83 to win Sunday's pole vault at the World Athletics final at the Stade Louis II stadium. Bekele did not compete in the weekend meet.

"I was very tired after the Olympics. I need to rest now," he said. "It is very special to win this award. It means I have been very consistent."

Bekele set world records in both 5,000 and 10,000 in 2004.

Earlier this year, the 22-year-old won an unprecedented third straight long-short course double at the World cross country championships. In February, he broke the indoor 5,000m record.

"Over the year, he deserved the award," IAAF spokesman Nick Davies said.

The list of the top 15 athletes in the overall IAAF world rankings was reduced to a shortlist of five candidates via an Internet voting poll.

The male and female winner was then chosen by a panel of the International Athletic Foundation, which included IAAF president Lamine Diack.

The other men's finalists were Olympic 110m hurdler Liu Xiang, long jumper Christian Olsson, discus thrower Virgilijus Alekna and distance runner Hicham El Guerrouj.

On the women's side, it was middle distance runner Kelly Holmes, 400 metre star Tonique Williams-Darling, sprinter Veronica Campbell and triple jumper Carolina Kluft.

Double Olympic gold medallist Holmes won the women's performance of the year award on Sunday for her 800-metre triumph in Athens. Moroccan El Guerrouj, also a double Olympic gold medallist, won the men's award for his 1,500 triumph in Athens. — AP

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