TORONTO, Canada (CMC) – Jamaica’s triple Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt is the Laureus World Sportsman-of-the-Year after his historic performances at the Beijing Olympics last year.

The 22-year-old sprinter was presented with the award yesterday by fellow track legends and Olympic gold medallists Michael Johnson and Edwin Moses.

“I am delighted to win this prestigious award and would like to thank everyone who voted for me,” said Bolt, after delivering his trademark a lightning-like “to the world” gesture with his arms.

Among those Bolt defeated for the top prize, were multiple Olympic swimming gold medallist Michael Phelps of the USA, Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal, Manchester United’s Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, and Britain’s Formula One driving champion Lewis Hamilton.

In Beijing last year, Bolt became the first man to win both the 100 and 200-metre sprint double plus the 4×100-metre relay gold medals with world record performances at the same Games.

He won the 100 metres in 9.69 seconds, the 200 in 19.30 and linked up with his Jamaican team-mates Nesta Carter, Michael Frater and Asafa Powell to win the sprint relay in 37.10 seconds.

Past winners of the Laureus award include Roger Federer, Lance Armstrong and Tiger Woods and Bolt is embracing his dream of becoming a legend.

“Fame for me is to become a legend in this sport,” Bolt said.
“I keep working over the years to be the champion at every championship that comes up, so I’m just trying to become a legend, that’s the aim for me right now,” said the 6-foot-5-inch marvel.

“It is an honour to succeed such greats as Roger Federer, Michael Schumacher, Lance Armstrong and Tiger Woods,” Bolt added.

Bolt was handed the award on the eve of his first international 100-metre run this year, at the Festival of Excellence meet at Toronto’s Varsity Stadium.

It is one of the “prep” events for sprint phenomena, ahead of the IAAF World Championship in Berlin this summer.

“I have the World Championship coming up this year in track and field, so I’m working towards that, being the champion in that,” he said.

Laureus World Sports Academy member Johnson, declaring the Jamaican fully deserving of the Laureus Award, again praised Bolt’s Beijing performance and labelled the 100-metre run, the best he has ever witnessed.

“Usain’s 100 metres in Beijing was the greatest sprinting performance I have ever seen, no doubt about it. His arrival on the scene over the last two years has been explosive and he thoroughly deserves to be Laureus World Sportsman-of-the-Year,” said Johnson, who lost his own 200-metre world record to Bolt in Beijing.

The Laureus award is the latest and most prestigious honour for Bolt for his outstanding 2008 campaign.

It follows other honours such as the IAAF Male Athlete-of-the-Year award, Central America and Caribbean (CAC) Athlete-of-the-Year, Jamaica’s Athlete-of-the-Year, the BBC Overseas Sports Personality award, plus the Champion of Champions 2008 label for the French magazine L’Equipe, and Eurosport Sports Personality-of-the-Year.

The Laureus World Sports Awards are the only global sports awards honouring the greatest sportsmen and women across all sports each year.

Russian Olympic and World pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva received the Laureus World Sportswoman-of-the-Year Award in Rome last week.

The winners are selected by the ultimate sports jury – the 46 members of the Laureus World Sports Academy, a collection of the world’s greatest sportsmen and women.

The Laureus World Sports Awards recognise sporting achievement during the period January 1 to December 31 each year.