Veronica Campbell-Brown wins the Olympic 200m title as four women run 22.01 or faster (© Getty Images)
2004 and 2008 Olympic 200 metres champion Veronica Campbell-Brown and 1976 Olympic 400m and 800m champion Alberto Juantorena were the track & field award winners at Friday night's Caribbean Sports Icons function (7).
The two stars were awarded for their outstanding contributions to track & field within the last 60 years but unfortunately were unable to be present to collect their awards, at the function held at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel in Kingston.
Campbell-Brown, who won the Olympic 200m in Athens and then again this past summer in Beijing, beat fellow Jamaicans Merlene Ottey, a two-time World champion and many-time Olympic medallist, and Deon Hemmings, the 1996 Atlanta Olympics 400m hurdles champion to the award.
Bahamians Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie and Chandra Sturrup, who both participated at this summer's Olympic, were also short-listed.
In 1976, Juantorena, who since retirement as an athlete has become an IAAF Council Member, became a double Olympic champion, running a World record time of 1:43.50 for the 800m title and three days later winning the 400m final in 44.26. Juantorena took the men's Sports Icon award on Friday ahead of a list that included Olympic champions Donald Quarrie of Jamaica and Hasley Crawford of Trinidad & Tobago.
Meanwhile, the ‘Spotlights on Beijing’ special awards were given to Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser.
Bolt won the 100m (9.69) and 200m (19.30) and helped Jamaica to the 4x100m title (37.10), all World record times, while Fraser won the women's 100m in 10.78sec.
Anthony Foster for the IAAF
