The athletic ruling body IAAF has named Usain Bolt male athlete of the year on a Monte Carlo gala, with Almaz Ayana winning the female title. The 30-year-old Jamaican said he regrets "slacking off" early in his career.
Image: Reuters/D. Ebenbichler
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Upon receiving his 6th "Athlete of the year" award on Friday, Bolt said he has done "everything he wanted to" on the field.
"I'll have to make a new bucket list now," said the sprinter, who is set to retire next year, after a farewell tour dedicated to his fans.
"I'm still talking to people about what I will do afterwards and I definitely want to stay involved in the sport but at the moment I am just looking forward to doing nothing," said Bolt.
Bolt has won 20 Olympic and World Championship titles, including the three gold medals he claimed in the 2016 Summer Olympic in Rio. The sprinter's incredible performance allowed him to defend his titles in the 100 and 200 meter races, and lead the Jamaican team to victory in the 400 meters relay.
"I live for the moments when I walk into a stadium and I hear a loud roar, and Rio was outstanding," Bolt said after accepting his award from IAAF president Sebastian Coe.
'You have to get stronger'
Bolt also claimed the titles in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2013.
In 2007, however, the title was claimed by his rival Tyson Gay, who also beat Bolt in the 200-meter race in Osaka in the same year. Reminiscing during the Monte Carlo gala, Bolt described the race as a wake-up call.
"After I lost, I remember going to my coach saying, 'I really tried my best, but what can I do to win because I really need to win?'," Bolt said.
"He said: 'You're slacking off in the gym. If you want to win you have to get stronger.'"
Ayana's Rio time claim to the crown
The famous sprinter said that he now regretted not getting "more serious more quickly."
"I was relying more on my talent. If I'd got more serious, I think I would have done a lot more in my career," he said.
In the female competition, Ethiopian long-distance runner Almaz Ayana claimed her first crown after winning gold and setting a new world record in the 10,000 meters race in Rio.
"I don't have words to explain my feelings right now. I'm so excited," Ayana said.
Ayana's time in Rio broke the 23-year-old record by over 14 seconds.
Memorable moments from Rio
Beaming champions, green swimming pools and even romance - the Rio Games offered all of this and more. We look back at some of the most memorable moments of the first Olympics to be held in South America.
Image: Getty Images/C. Rose
Simply the best
Michael Phelps of the United States retired as the most successful Olympic athlete of all time after winning five more gold medals in Rio to make it a career total of 23. Now he plans to marry his fiancé, Nicole (right) and spend more time with his young son Boomer (second from right).
Image: Getty Images/AFP/M. Bureau
Mission accomplished
Usain Bolt completed his "triple triple," winning gold in the 100-meter dash, the 200 meters and the 4x100 relay - just as he had done in Bejing in 2008 and London in 2012. These were the last Olympics for the Jamaican sprinting legend. "It's a relief but I'm also sad that I have to leave," he said when it was all over.
Image: Reuters/K. Pfaffenbach
Free of charge
German gymnast Fabian Hambüchen wrapped up his last international competition by winning his first Olympic gold in the horizontal bar. This completed his collection after he took silver in London four years ago and bronze in Beijing in 2008. After the competition, Hambüchen decided to try to purchase the horizontal bar that he had won gold on. In the end, he was given it for free.
Image: picture alliance/GES/M. Gilliar
Dominant Biles
Simone Biles, 19, was the most successful women's gymnast in Rio, winning the gold medal in the women's all-around, vault and floor exercise, as well as bronze in the balance beam.
Image: Reuters/M. Blake
Historic gold medal
Germany's Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst dethroned the Brazilian beach volleyballers in the own backyard, Copacabana beach. They beat the world champions Agatha Bednarczuk and Barbara Seixas two sets to none in the final, becoming the first European women to win a medal in the sport.
Image: Reuters/A. Latif
Untimely death
The German team were shaken in the early days of the Games by the loss of slalom canoe coach Stefan Henze. The 35-year-old was killed in the crash of a taxi that he was a passenger in.
Image: picture-alliance/Robert Schlesinger
Hero de Janeiro
Andreas Toba ruptured the cruciate ligament in his right knee during the floor exercise in the men's team qualifying but soldiered on, competing on the pommel horse after his knee had been wrapped. This helped Germany finish in eighth place, thus qualifying for the final.
Image: Reuters/M. Blake
Green water
The water in the pools used for diving and the swimming competitions suddenly turned from crystal blue to an algae-looking green. Organizers said a contractor had added hydrogen peroxide to the pools, which neutralized the chlorine and allowed algae to bloom. "We were not consulted, our contractor's failure is our failure," said Gustavo Nascimento, Rio 2016's director of venue management.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/M. Dunham
Partisan crowds
The stands were often half full but they were packed and boisterous when Brazilian athletes were involved - and they weren't always kind to their opponents. French pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie compared the booing he was subjected to, to the treatment of Jesse Owens at the 1936 Games in Berlin. He later apologized for the comment.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/F. Fife
Constant suspicion
A number of athletes spoke out about doping, particularly in view of the fact that almost all oft he Russians were allowed to compete in Rio, despite evidence of systematic, state-sponsored doping revealed in a WADA-commissioned report. Yuliya Efimova who recently returned to the sport after being suspended for doping, was jeered when accepting both of her silvers on the medals podium.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Vilf
"She said yes!"
The latest trend? Proposing at the Games! Rugby stadium manager Marjorie Enya got things started three days in when she proposed on the field to her girlfriend, Isadora Cerullo, who plays rugby sevens for Brazil. Later, diving bronze medalist Qin Kai proposed to He Zi as she stepped off the podium after winning silver in the women's springboard final.
