SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (CMC):

Jamaica's 100-metre world record holder Asafa Powell and Cuba's triple jump world champion Yargelis Savigne have secured the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Athlete of the Year awards.

The two were selected as the best CAC performers for 2007 following very close voting among the region's 14 individual medallists at the Osaka World Championship in August.

Powell was elected for the third consecutive year, but the Common-wealth Games champion had to overcome strong claims from the region's two World Champions - Panama's Irving Saladino and the Bahamian Donald Thomas.

Strong comeback

A few injury setbacks prevented him from competing in over a month in the lead-up to Osaka, where he could only win bronze behind USA's Tyson Gay and Bahamian sensation Derrick Atkins. He anchored Jamaica to a new national and CAC record of 37.89 for silver in the 4x100m relay.

A week later, Powell reaffirmed his label as the world's fastest man as he smashed his own world record with an easy 9.74 seconds in the heats of the Rieti Grand Prix. He won the final in 9.78. Powell went on to win the Brussels Golden League (9.84) and retained his World Athletics Final title in Stuttgart with a competition record of 9.83. Osaka was his only loss in seven 100-metre finals.

Powell captured 902 points in the poll by the media and fans through the Central American and Caribbean Athletics Confederation's CACAC website, to top Panama's first ever world champion Saladino (699) and Thomas (657).

Savigne prevented a Jamaican sweep of the two prizes as she comfortably beat Veronica Campbell for the women's Athlete of the Year. In her best season ever, Savigne became the second Cuban to win the prestigious award, two years after World and Olympic javelin champion and World record holder Osleidys Menendez.

World-leading mark

Savigne first improved her national indoor record to 14.80 metres to lead the world lists last winter. With only two losses in 11 finals in the summer, the 2005 World Championships silver medallist finally reached the 15-metre mark (15.07 metres) in July and went on to claim her first major international victory with the Pan American Games gold medal in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

A month later, she surprised all finalists with her massive opening leap of 15.28 metres for the gold in Osaka. That world-leading mark placed her sixth on the all-time list.

Savigne gathered 1,090 points and defeated Campbell, the 100-metre world champion from Osaka, who totalled 841 points.

Cubans snared the junior awards through decathlete Yoradnis Garcia and triple jumper Dailenis Alcantara. Garcia ended his junior career on a high note as he claimed the silver medal at the Pan American Games and erased the CAC junior record with a new 8,257 total for the eighth place in Osaka. He won the CAC junior award ahead of Jamaican sprint star Yohan Blake and Barbadian sprint hurdler Ryan Brathwaite.

Alcantara, who defeated the Jamaican pair of Bobby-Gaye Wilkins and Samantha Henry for the junior girl award, set a new age-group 15-year-old world best with her massive 14.21-metre leap in Havana. Before turning 16 in August, she confirmed her talent with the World Youth Triple Jump title in Ostrava, followed by her country-woman Josleidy Ribalta.

The previous recipients of the CAC Athlete of the Year awards were the Dominican Republic's Felix Sanchez and Mexico's Ana Guevara (2004), Powell and Menendez (2005) and Powell and Jamaica's Sherone Simpson (2006). Powell, Savigne, Garcia and Alcantara will be awarded in the first quarter of 2008 during the CAC Hall of Fame ceremonies to be held in Kingston and Havana.

CAC ATHLETE OF THE YEAR POLLS