Toronto, June 11: Triple Olympic champion Usain Bolt was named winner of the 2009 Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award.">
At the Beijing Olympics, the Jamaican sprint star became the first man in history to win the 100 metres, 200 metres and 4x100 metres relay gold medals in world record times at the same Games.
Bolt, 22, received the award from Laureus World Sports Academy chairman Edwin Moses and academy member Michael Johnson on the eve of the Festival of Excellence track and field meet here Wednesday.
Bolt's 200 metres time in Beijing broke the long-standing world record of 19.32 seconds set by Johnson in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
The other nominees were Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, who won eight gold medals in Beijing, French Open and Wimbledon champion Rafael Nadal, Formula One motor-racing champion Lewis Hamilton, MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi and Manchester United footballer Cristiano Ronaldo.
-IANS
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