For the second year, Usain Bolt and Veronica Campbell Brown sprinted away with the RJR Sports Foundation National Sportsman and Sportswoman award for their excellent achievements and outstanding performance for 2011. The ceremony was held on Friday January 20, 2012 at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston, Jamaica.

Veronica Campbell Brown, the 2011 World Athletic Championship women's 200 meters gold medalist and women's 100 meters and 4x100 meters relay silver medalist, overcame the challenge of ICC cricketer of the year Stefanie Taylor for the sportswoman title.

In her acceptance speech she said, "I am honored, there are so many great female athletes here who all competed very well in 2011 and I am privileged that I was given this award."

This was Veronica's fifth sportswoman award. She also won the female track and field athlete of the year.

Usain Bolt faces a strong field of outstanding sportsmen in his quest to capture his third Laureus World Sportsman of the year award. He previously won this award in 2008 and 2009 for his exploits at the Beijing Olympics and the Berlin IAAF World Championships, winning both the 100 meters and 200 meters titles in world record times.

Pat Mathews, editor of the world renowned and respected Athletic International Magazine thinks that Bolt cannot possibly win his third Laureus award with this year's slate of competition: tennis star Serbian Novak Djokovic, who captured the Australian, Wimbledon and U.S. Grand Slam titles this year; 24-year-old German Sebastian Vettel, who was dominant on the Formula One racing circuit winning his second drivers title; World Footballer of the Year Lionel Messi, who scored 53 goals for Spanish and Champions League winners Barcelona; and Cadel Evans, winner of the Tour de France championship.

Mathews pegs Djokovic to take the prize for this year. He also thinks that Bolt's chances may actually be suffering from the high standard that he has set for himself. Although losing only once this year due to a false start in the World Championships Men 100 meters final, Bolt did not record times near his current world records.

Usain "Lightning" Bolt, although not at his best this year, still managed to sprint away with the International Association of Athletics Federation's (IAAF) Male Athlete of the Year award 2011, which was held in Monaco on Saturday, November 12, 2011

This is the 25 year-old Bolt's third IAAF Male Athlete of the Year award. He defended his 200 meters World Championship title by clocking a time of 19.40 seconds and then anchored Jamaica's recording breaking 4x100 meters relay team to victory in 37.04 seconds in Deagu, Korea.

The "Lightning" remained unbeaten in the 200 meters all season and recorded the fastest 100 meters time of the year at 9.76 seconds. He won five of the six 100 meters races that he competed in. His only loss was due to the well publicized false start in the 100 meters final at the World Championship in Deagu, Korea.

The Council of the International Athletic Foundation on Friday November 4, 2011, selected Jamaica's Yohan "The Beast" Blake, Usain "Lightning" Bolt, and last year's winner of 2010 the IAAF Male Athlete of the year, Kenyan distance runner David Rudisha, for this Year's IAAF Male Athlete of the Year award. Fellow Caribbean athlete, Grenadian Karani James, along with USA's Christian Taylor and Jesse Williams, who were among the top 10 nominated athletes, did not make the final cut.

Blake became the youngest 100 meters World Champion at age 21. He captured the event in 9.92 seconds in Deagu, Korea. "The Beast" also ran the second fastest 200 meters in history clocking 19.26 seconds to close out his season at the Brussels Diamond League meet.

Usain "Lightning" Bolt captured the 200 meters at the World Championship in a time of 19.40 seconds. He was undefeated over this distance all season. "Lightning" Bolt recorded the fastest 100 meters of the year, clocking 9.76 seconds at the Brussels Diamond League meet to close out his season. Together, they were part of Jamaica's world record team in the 4x100 meters relay, at 37.04 seconds.

On the women athletes' side, Jamaica's Veronica Campbell-Brown, USA's Lashinda Demus and Carmelita Jeter were not selected for the IAAF Female Athlete of the Year shortlist. Shot-put World Champion, Valerie Adams of New Zealand, distance runner Vivian Cheruiyot of Kenya and World 100 hurdles champion Sally Pearson of Australia were the women candidates selected.

The winners will be announced live onstage during the 2011 World Athletics Gala, on November 12, 2011, in Monaco.