Bolt, who won the award for the fourth time, and Felix, a first-time winner, received their trophies and $100,000 (£62,000/€77,000) prize at the Athletes of the Year Awards Ceremony in the Grand Ballroom of the Pullman Skipper Hotel during the International Association of Athletics Federation's (IAAF) Centenary celebrations in Barcelona.

The awards were hosted by International Athletic Foundation (IAF) Honorary President Prince Albert II of Monaco and IAF and IAAF President Lamine Diack, who presented the trophies to the Female and Male winners respectively.

Bolt, 26, World Athlete of the Year in 2008, 2009 and 2011, successfully defended both his 100m and 200m titles at the Olympic Games in London, clocking 9.63sec and 19.32 respectively, both the fastest times in the world this year.

He concluded his Olympic appearance by anchoring a Jamaican quartet to a 36.84 world record in the 4x100m relay.

He won six out of seven competitions in the 100m, and three of four in the 200m.


There was a double celebration for the Bolt camp as his coach Glen Mills was presented with the Coaching Lifetime Achievement award by IAAF vice-president Sergey Bubka.

Felix, 27, following world 200m titles in 2005, 2007 and 2009, won the Olympic 200m title in London and was part of the gold medal-winning 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams to become the first woman since 1988 to win three gold medals at a single Olympic Games.

The victorious 4x100m relay quartet in London clocked a 40.82 world record - for which they received the Female Performance of the Year award from the legendary 400m hurdler Ed Moses.

Felix's 21.69 victory in the 200m at the US Olympic Trials was the fastest in the world this year and made her the fourth fastest woman in history.

David Rudisha of Kenya, who won the Olympic 800m title in a world record of 1min 40.91sec, received the Male Performance of the Year award from New Zealand's Peter Snell, who won the Olympic title in 1960 and 1964.


The IAAF Inspirational award was presented to Olympic 110m hurdles champion Aries Merritt by Kenya's Kip Keino.

Trinidad and Tobago's surprise winner of the Olympic javelin title, Keshorn Walcott, received the Male Rising Star award from Jan Zelezny, and the Female Rising Star award was presented to Antonique Strachan of the Bahamas by France's Marie-José Pérec.

The World Journalist award was presented to Kenya's Elias Makori by double Olympic champion Sebastian Coe, the chairman of London 2012 who is a vice-president of the IAAF.

Male Master Athlete of the Year was Rob Lida of the United States, presented by Qatar's Dahlan Al Hamad, while the IAAF's senior vice-president Robert Hersch, from the US, presented Australia's Lynn Ventris with the Female Master Athlete of the Year award.

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