Double World Record holder Usain Bolt earlier today won his third International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) male Athlete of the Year award in Monaco.

The announcement was made in a release from the IAAF with Australian hurdlers Sally Pearson winning the female equivalent.

The athletes are to be presented with their trophies and US$100,000 awards this afternoon (local time) at a function to be held Salle des Etoiles of the Sporting Club d'Eté in Monaco that will be broadcast globally.

Bolt won five of six 100m races this past season and retained his IAAF World Championships 200m title in Daegu, South Korea and anchored the Jamaican 4x100m relay team to a gold in a World Record 37.04 seconds.

He also ended the season with the fastest 100m time of 9.76 seconds and was unbeaten in four 200m races.

Bolt told reporters, "This season was a really trying season for me, I really had to work hard and stand up my game."

"There were some close races this season, I really had to push myself. So this (award) really means a whole lot to me. Because I really came out there hard this year, and all the hard work I put in paid off," he also said.

This was Bolt's third win in four years as he also won in 2008 and 2009 and beat a field that included compatriot and training partner Yohan Blake who won the World Championships 100m title after Bolt was sensationally disqualified for a false start as well and Kenyan 800m World Champion David Rudisha who won last year.

Blake did not come away empty handed as he won the award for the Male Performance of the Year after he ran the second fastest 200m ever, 19.26 seconds at the Memorial van Damme in Brussels. 

Source: Jamaica Observer