Gay named World Athlete of the Year

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> For Defar and Gay, near perfection in 2007

By Tom Surber, USATF
Posted Monday, 26 November, 2007

Three-time World Outdoor champion and 2007 Jesse Owens Award winner Tyson Gay was named the Male World Athlete of the Year at the World Athletics Gala in Monte Carlo over the weekend.

Gay had an historic year in 2007, sweeping the 100 and 200 meters at both the IAAF World Outdoor Championships in Osaka and the USA Outdoor Championships. He added World Outdoor gold in the 4x100m to become the fourth man in World Championships history to win three gold medals at a single championship. In Osaka, he won his first gold in the 100, blazing to a 9.85 victory to relegate world-record holder Asafa Powell to third. Gay then took down Michael Johnson's 200m meet record, coming from behind to win his second gold medal of the meet in 19.76. He finished his global trifecta by running the third leg on the winning men's 4x100m relay that won a nail-biter of a race in 37.78.

Gay had given notice of his prowess at the U.S. Outdoor Championships, cementing his status as the world's most dominant all-around sprinter with his meet record wins in the 100 (9.84, -.5m/s) and 200 (19.62, -.3m/s) in posting the fastest 100-200 double in history. Gay also came away from the meet with the men's Visa Championship as the top male performer of the Visa Championship Series.

Establishing himself as the world's top big-meet, championship runner, Gay won every race he entered in the 100 and 200 in 2007, save for one. He ran five of the seven fastest times by an American in the 100 and three of the four fastest times by an American in the 200, including the 2007 world leader (19.62).

The winner of all her races this season, including two World records and a World best, Meseret Defar of Ethiopia was named the 2007 Female World Athlete of the Year. The list of other World Athletics Gala Award winners follows:

2007 World Athletics Gala Awards

Performances of the Year

Male Winner Asafa Powell JAM

Female Winner Blanka Vlasic CRO

Hero of Athletics Award

Carl Lewis USA

Inspirational Award

Paula Radcliffe GBR

Haile Gebrselassie ETH

Newcomer of the Year

Donald Thomas BAH

Rising Star Award