Bolt, Williams win world sports awards

Last updated 08:17 11/03/2010

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Jamaican sprint star Usain Bolt poses with the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award in Kingston, Jamaica.

Surfer Mick Fanning of Australia poses with his wife Karissa at the red carpet as they arrive for the Laureus World Sports Awards.

Formula One driver Mika Hakkinen poses with his wife Marketa Kromatowa at the red carpet as they arrive for the Laureus World Sports Awards.

US skateboarder Tony Hawk takes pictures on the red carpet as he arrives for the Laureus World Sports Awards.

England's football coach Fabio Capello poses with his wife Laura on the red carpet as they arrive for the Laureus World Sports Awards.

English cricketer Andrew Flintoff,right, arrives with his companion for the Laureus Awards in Abu Dhabi.

South African Swimmer, Natalie du Toit kisses her trophy after winning the World Sport Person of the year with a Disability category, at the Laureus Awards in Abu Dhabi.

British actor Hugh Grant arrives on the red carpet for the Laureus World Sports Awards.

US actor Kyle MacLachlan poses in the awards room following the Laureus World Sports Awards.

British singer Mika poses on the red carpet as he arrives for the Laureus World Sports Awards.

Dutch tennis player Esther Vergeer arrives with her companion for the Laureus World Sports Awards

Basketball great and former Philadelphia 76ers Julius Erving arrives with his wife, Dorys, at the red carpet for the Laureus World Sports Awards.

Actor Kevin Spacey arrives on the red carpet for the Laureus World Sports Awards in Abu Dhabi.

Former World Formula One champion Emerson Fittipaldi (left) of Brazil arrives with his companion for the Laureus Awards in Abu Dhabi.

Ukrainian professional heavyweight boxer and the current WBC world heavyweight champion, Vitali Klitschko (right) arrives with his wife for the Laureus Awards in Abu Dhabi.

Spanish former professional tennis player Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario (left) and her husband Jose Santacana, as they arrive for the Laureus Awards in Abu Dhabi.

Australian surfer Stephanie Gilmore, kisses her trophy after winning the World Action Sports Person of the Year category at the Laureus Awards in Abu Dhabi.

Australian swimmer, Libby Trickett arrives for the Laureus Awards in Abu Dhabi.

Aboriginal athletics star Cathy Freeman of Australia arrives for the Laureus World Sports Awards at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi.

US basketball star Dikembe Mutombo poses with his

Jamaican Olympic medallist sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser poses with her husband at the red carpet as they arrive for the Laureus World Sports Awards at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi

Nick Fry, chief executive of the Formula One constructor Mercedes GP (formerly Brawn GP), smiles as he holds the trophy on behalf of the whole team after winning the World Team of the the Year category at the Laureus Awards in Abu Dhabi.

Former Formula One driver David Coulthard (right) of Scotland and his wife Karen pose on the red carpet as they arrive for the Laureus World Sports Awards.

US actress Gwyneth Paltrow poses at the red carpet as she arrives for the Laureus World Sports Awards.

Laureus Sports Academy chairman Edwin Moses and his wife Michelle pose at the red carpet as they arrive for the Laureus World Sports Awards

Former tennis star Boris Becker of Germany and his wife Dutch model Lilly Kerssenberg pose as they arrive for the Laureus World Sports Awards.

British Formula One world champion Jenson Button poses with his girlfriend Jessica Michibata as they arrive for the Laureus World Sports Awards.

Australian surfing champion Stephanie Gilmore (right) poses with her sister at the red carpet as she arrives for the Laureus World Sports Awards.

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Jamaican sprinting star Usain Bolt has been named Laureus World Sportsman of the Year for the second straight time, after continuing his amazing blitz on sprinting in 2009 when he won three more gold medals at the World Championships.

US tennis star Serena Williams has won her second World Sportswoman of the Year Award, seven years after her first, following Grand Slam victories in Australia and at Wimbledon. It was her third Laureus Award in total, after also winning the Comeback Award in 2007.

Formula One was a big winner in Abu Dhabi as Britain's Jenson Button won the Breakthrough of the Year Award following his first World Drivers' Championship, and the Brawn GP Formula One Team, for whom Button drove in 2009, was named World Team of the Year.

Belgium's Kim Clijsters won the World Comeback of the Year Award after her remarkable return to tennis in 2009 when she won the US Open Grand Slam title in only her third tournament following a two-year absence.

There was a warm reception at the Awards Ceremony for South African swimmer Natalie du Toit, who is breaking down the barriers between disabled and able-bodied sport, as she received the Disability Award.

Australia's three-times World Surfing Champion Stephanie Gilmore was named World Action Sportsperson of the Year.

The awards, which recognise sporting achievement during the period January 1-December 31, 2009, are the premier honours on the international sporting calendar. The winners are chosen by a World Sports Academy, made up of 46 of the greatest sportsmen and sportswomen of all time.

Members of the academy present were: Giacomo Agostini, Marcus Allen, Franz Beckenbauer, Boris Becker, Ian Botham, Sergey Bubka, Nadia Comaneci, Kapil Dev, Emerson Fittipaldi, Sean Fitzpatrick, Dawn Fraser, Cathy Freeman, Mika Hakkinen, Tony Hawk, Mike Horn, Kip Keino, Edwin Moses, Nawal El Moutawakel, Robby Naish, Alexey Nemov, Morné du Plessis, Hugo Porta, Monica Seles, Daley Thompson, Alberto Tomba and Steve Waugh.

Double Oscar-winning Hollywood star Kevin Spacey hosted the glittering Awards Ceremony.

Among the guests in a packed auditorium at the Emirates Palace were Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow, British film stars Hugh Grant and Clive Owen, American actors Kyle MacLachlan from Desperate Housewives and Michelle Rodriguez who played leading roles in the Oscar-winning movie Avatar and the TV series Lost, Grammy nominated singer-songwriter Mika who earlier drew up to the red carpet in a spectacular gull-wing Mercedes-Benz, England Test cricketer Andrew Flintoff, Formula One winner David Coulthard, world boxing champion Amir Khan, Olympic rowing legend Steve Redgrave, and supermodel Jessica Michibata.

There were two additional awards: The Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to athletics legend Nawal El Moutawakel, while American basketball star Dikembe Mutombo won the Sport for Good Award for his charitable work in the Congo.

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