IAAF seek Usain Bolt heroics to steer athletics through turbulence

IN MONTE CARLO, MONACO

Jamaican sprints legend Usain Bolt and Ethiopia's 10,000 metres world record-holder and Olympic champion Almaz Ayana were on Friday night named male and female athletes of the year respectively at a ceremony organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) at the Monte Carlo Sporting Club in the heart of the Monaco Principality.

And when he received his award, which he has won won five times before, and which comes with a handsome $100,000 (Sh10 million) cash award, Bolt, who has already announced he will hung up his running spikes next year, said he looks "good for the screen" and that considering an action role like that of 'Transporter' series hero Jason Statham is in his retirement plans.

But IAAF President Seb Coe needs Bolt's heroics more than Spike Lee and other Hollywood movie directors with the sport looking to shed, in the words of Coe, a "grotesque" image tainted by massive corruption and doping allegations highlighted by Coe's predecessor Lamine Diack's current tribulations with French prosecutors.

Diack is currently under arrest and facing trial for corruption in a Paris court while his son Papa Massata Diack, a former IAAF marketing consultant, is serving a life ban from the sport for corruption and is also being sought by Interpol to answer charges in the case involving his equally disgraced father.

A meeting of the IAAF's affiliates and Council on Saturday is expected to vote on the massive governance structure reforms proposed by Coe that include an independent anti-doping mechanism.

Coe and the IAAF's Working Group on Governance Structure Reform embarked on a global road show in October and last month to drum up support for the 15 key changes proposed by the Monaco-based organisation aimed at "creating an effective organisation" with checks and balances and transparent structures.

The reforms, proposed by the working group and headed by sports lawyer Maria Clarke, have already received support from the athletes' commission headed by its chairman Role Prezelj of Slovenia.

And while receiving his award on Friday night, Bolt threw his weight behind Coe and his team, saying he likes what he was seeing, in reference to the reforms, and that he would offer his services to track and field after retiring.

Coe's push for change and more responsibility in the management of athletics is already being felt here.

Accustomed to limousine pick-ups from the Nice Airport for the annual IAAF Awards Gala guests this year have had to settle for a bus ride with the sumptuous post awards five course dinner reduced to a cocktails reception by Coe, who is also a former member of the Chelsea Football Club board.

Huge delegations of athletics officials' spouses and girlfriends, synonymous with the Diack era and annually on a shopping spree around the gala here, are visibly absent with Coe also settling for cheaper, less glamorous but nonetheless very practical accommodation for international media as part of his cost-cutting drive.

There are no gala souvenir bags, cash allowances for delegates have been slashed while elite musical groups invited annually to entertain gala guests in Monaco have been replaced with piped music.

Among the artistes that have produced highlight live performances at the gala in previous years were Senegal's Yussou N'dour and the late South African legend Miriam Makeba.

Champagne has also been substituted with beer, a move that has nonetheless excited some guests who strategically stood by the bar at Friday's post awards cocktail receptions to enjoy the frothy drink.

On the eve of the gala, German sportswear giants Adidas announced they had terminated their partnership with IAAF as insiders speculated the Japanese firm Asics will take up the role abandoned by Adidas who had previously cited concern over governance issues at world athletics governing body.

At Friday's gala, meanwhile, Bolt was celebrated for successfully defending his Olympic titles in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay, bringing his lifetime tally of Olympic gold medals to nine.

He clocked season’s bests of 9.81 and 19.78 to win the 100m and 200m in Rio and then anchored the Jamaican team to a world-leading 37.27 when winning the 4x100m relay.

He also went undefeated throughout the whole season at all distances, including heats.

"I live for the moments when I walk into a stadium and I hear a loud roar and Rio was outstanding," said Bolt, whose award was presented by Coe on Friday.

"One of the main reasons I'm continuing for another year is because of the fans; they don't want me to retire. I have to give thanks to them."

Ayana had a record-breaking year. After recording the fastest 10,000m debut in history in June, the Ethiopian went on to win the Olympic title at the distance in a world record of 29:17.45.

She added to her Olympic medal haul in Rio by taking bronze in the 5000m, her only loss of the year. Having recorded three of the eight fastest times at 5000m, she ended the year as the Diamond Race winner for that discipline.

She becomes the third Ethiopian woman to win this award, following Genzebe Dibaba in 2015 and Meseret Defar in 2007.

"I don't have words to explain my feelings right now, I'm so excited," said Ayana whose award was presented by International Athletics Foundation (IAF) Honorary President HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco. "I'm so pleased."

Tegla Lorupe was feted for her support for refugee athletes whom she led as head of delegation to the recent Rio Olympics.

DE GRASSE, THIAM FETED

Canada's sprinter Andre De Grasse won the male rising star award for his Olympic 200m silver medal in Rio, having set a national record of 19.80 in the semi-final. He took bronze over 100m in a PB of 9.91 and anchored the Canadian team to bronze in the 4x100m, setting a national record of 37.64.

Belgium's Nafissatou Thiam was named the female rising star for winning gold in the heptathlon at the Rio Olympic Games with a world-leading national record of 6,810 points.

Just 21 at the time, only one athlete (Carolina Kluft) has ever produced a higher score than Thiam’s at that age. En route to her Olympic triumph, she set a world heptathlon best of 1.98m in the high jump; higher than the winning leap in the individual high jump final.

US coach Harry Marra, who guided Ashton Eaton to his second successive decathlon gold medal at the Rio Games, won the coach of the year award.

Marra also guided Ashton's partner, Brianne Theisen-Eaton, to the pentathlon title at the IAAF World Indoor Championships Portland 2016, where she broke the North American record.

She later earned the bronze medal in the heptathlon at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Greece's Polyxeni Argeitaki was also celebrated for her contribution to women's athletics.

Argeitaki is an assistant professor of athletics at the National Kapodistrian University of Athens.

The former Greek champion at middle-distance events is the treasurer, council member and president of the scientific committee at the Hellenic Athletics Federation. She has also written more than 50 scientific publications.

This award recognises outstanding achievements and contributions made to develop, encourage and strengthen the participation of women and girls at all levels of the sport.

Additional reporting by IAAF