American Carl Lewis and Holland's Fanny Blankers-Koen were named best male and female athlete of the century at the International Amateur Athletics Federation gala in Monaco yesterday. America's Michael Johnson and Romania's Gabriela Szabo, meanwhile, won the awards for the best athletes of 1999.
"It's an enormous honour," said Lewis, "but I cannot say I am better than Jesse Owens." That was a reference to his legendary compatriot who cocked a snook at the racist ideology of Adolf Hitler by winning four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.
"Perhaps I would never have achieved in Los Angeles (in 1984 when Lewis emulated Owens' achievement) what I achieved if Jesse Owens had not done what he did," added Lewis.
Other leading contenders for the men's award were Finn Paavo Nurmi and Ethiopian Abebe Bikila.
Blankers-Koen, now 82, was clearly delighted with her award. The Dutchwoman's legendary achievement was winning four gold medals in the 1948 Olympics, staged at Wembley in London. She prevailed in the 100 metres, 200, 4x100 relay and 80 metres hurdles.
Reflecting on her London performance, she said: "I remember every race, every second of the London games, of my tears when I wanted to stop after my first two medals when my husband was insisting I continue. And he was right."
