Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt created record on Friday when he won the International Association of Athletics Federation male Athlete of the Year award for the sixth time. “I live for the moments I walk into the stadium… It’s definitely a big deal,” said Bolt, who was rewarded for winning three gold medals [100m, 200m and 4x100m relay] at the Rio Olympics this year for the third consecutive time. The nine-time Olympic champion, who will retire next year after the World Athletics Championships in London, has previously won this coveted award in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013.

The other athletes who were eyeing this award were Britain’s Mo Farah, who made history with his Olympic double-double in the 5,000m and 10,000m race, and Olympic gold-medal winner Wayde van Niekerk from South Africa who broke the world record set by Michael Johnson, reported AFP. Bolt made history during the Rio Olympics when he picked up the three gold medals for the third time. His 9.81-second gold medal-winning performance at the 100m race in Rio was the second fastest in the world and his 19.78-second run in the 200m final was the third fastest.

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Among the female athletes, long-distance runner Almaz Ayana from Ethiopia won the Athlete of the Year award for winning the 10,000m gold in Rio Games this year. She broke a 23-year-old record by 14 seconds at the Rio Games when she finished her 10,000m run in 29 minutes and 17.45 seconds. Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson, who won gold medals in the 100m and 200m race in Rio and a silver medal in the 4x100m relay, and Polish Olympic hammer champion and world record holder Anita Wlodarczyk were also vying for this prestigious award.

Canadian sprinter Andre de Grasse and Olympic heptathlon champion Nafissatou Thiam won the rising star awards in the male and female categories, respectively, reported BBC. Harry Marra won the IAAF Coaching Achievement Award for helping Ashton Eaton win a second Olympic decathlon gold and Brianne Theisen Eaton bag the heptathlon bronze.