TORONTO, Canada, CMC – American track and field great Michael Johnson has embraced Jamaican sprint marvel Usain Bolt as deserving of the prestigious Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award he landed on Wednesday.

Bolt’s triple gold medal show at the Beijing Olympics last year, all in world record times, propelled him to the Laureus honour which he received from Johnson, a Laureus World Sports Academy member.

“Every now and then comes an athlete for the times and I believe Usain Bolt is that athlete. It happened for me in 1996, it happened with Carl Lewis in 1984 and Jesse Owens in 1936 and now it is happening for Usain,” said Johnson, who watched Bolt smash his formidable 200-metre world record in Beijing last summer.

“He doesn’t just want to win races and medals, he wants to test the limits of human ability. I am happy for him and I congratulate him on breaking my 200 metres world record,” Johnson added. Among those Bolt defeated for the Laureus prize, were multiple Olympic swimming gold medallist Michael Phelps, of the USA, Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal, Manchester United’s Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, and Britain’s Formula One driving champion Lewis Hamilton.

In Beijing last year, Bolt became the first man to win the 100, 200 and 4×100-metre relay gold medals with world record performances at the same Games.
He won the 100 metres in 9.69 seconds, the 200 in 19.30 and linked up with his Jamaican team-mates Nesta Carter, Michael Frater and Asafa Powell to win the sprint relay in 37.10 seconds. Past winners of the Laureus award include Roger Federer, Lance Armstrong and Tiger Woods and Bolt is embracing his dream of becoming a legend.

Johnson, who still holds the world 400-metre record at 43.18 seconds, stopped short of calling Bolt the greatest sprinter of all time but suggested that the label could be within his reach.

“I can’t say he’s the greatest sprinter I’ve ever seen – yet.  For him to be the greatest, he’ll have to win gold at another Olympics or a World Championship, show some consistency and longevity. But there’s no reason for me to think he can’t do it,” Johnson said.