Yelena Isinbayeva wins ‘Nobel Prize of Sports’
Mon 26/10/2009 16:29
Russian pole vault world record holder Yelena Isinbayeva landed the Prince of Asturias Award, known as the ‘Nobel Prize of Sports’, for her global accomplishments, reports spikesmag.com.
Isinbayeva defeated a strong short list for the award, which included marathon world record holder
Haile Gebrselassie, tennis star
Roger Federer and
Barcelona Football Club to the award.
Since double Olympic 1500m champion
Seb Coe took the inaugural award in 1987 other track and field athletes to land the prize include pole vaulter
Sergey Bubka, high jumper Javier Sotomayor, Olympic 1500m champion Hassiba Boulmerka, sprinter and long jump icon Carl Lewis and mile record holder Hicham El Guerrouj.
According to the panel of judges Isinbayeva’s “efforts have contributed to the advancement, nurturing, promotion or dissemination of sport.”
Isinbayeva, 27, is a three-time World Female Athlete of the Year and two-time Olympic champion.
She set her 27th world record in Zurich earlier this year, clearing 5.06 but failed to retain her World title after no-heighting in the final.