Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Usain Bolt named IAAF Athletes of the Year

Aug 18, 2013; Moscow, RUSSIA; Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (second from left) runs the anchor leg on the Jamaica womens 4 x 100m relay that won in a championship record 41.29 in the 14th IAAF World Championships in Athletics at Luzhniki Stadium. From left: Khamica Bingham (CAN), Fraser-Pryce (JAM), Octavious Freeman (USA), Stella Akakpo (FRA) and Hayley Jones (GBR). Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

The IAAF announced on Saturday that Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Usain Bolt have been named the organization’s World Athletes of the Year. Fraser-Pryce has not won the prestigious award before, and Bolt has now won it five times.

Fraser-Pryce, the second Jamaican woman to win the award, captured gold medals in three events — the 100m, the 200m, and 4x100m relay — at the 2013 IAAF World Championships in Moscow. She also posted the fastest 200m of the year (22.13 seconds).

Bolt also won gold medals in the same three events at the World Championships, and he also ran the fastest 200m of the year. Man, talk about a copycat. Bolt previously won the award in 2008, 2009, 2011, and 2012.

Other awards handed out on Saturday were the Rising Star Award (given to Mary Cain), the Coaching Achievement Award (given to Alberto Salazar), the World Journalist Award (given to Gianni Merlo), the Male Masters Athlete of the Year (given to Charles Allie), and the Female Masters Athlete of the Year (given to Christa Bortignon).

Congratulations to all the winners!

[Source: IAAF.org]

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