Sprinters Asafa Powell of Jamaica and Sanya Richards of the U.S. top the Athlete of the Year shortlist announced today by the IAAF, the sport's international governing body.

In 2006, Powell, 23, twice equalled the 9.77 world record in the 100 meters he first set in Athens in June 2005. In all, he won 16 races along with a share of the $1 million IAAF Golden League Jackpot after a perfect six-for-six record in Golden League competitions.

Richards, 21, was undefeated in the 400 meters outdoors this season, and also captured a piece of the Golden League Jackpot. Among her 13 wins over the full lap were the year's five fastest performances, capped by a 48.70 U.S. record at the IAAF World Cup in Athens in September.

Both Powell and Richards top the overall IAAF World Rankings. The winners, selected by a special jury of the International Athletics Foundation (IAF), will be announced at the 2006 World Athletics Gala in Monaco, on Sunday, November 12.

Also on the shortlist of six, selected by two polls --one on the IAAF website and another of IAAF Athletics Family members-- were Lithuanian discus thrower Virgilijus Alekna, hurdler Liu Xiang of China, Ethiopian distance star Meseret Defar and Jamaican sprinter Sherone Simpson.

The 34-year-old Alekna, a two-time world and two-time Olympic champion, won each of his 16 competitions this season, including his first European title. Xiang, 23, lowered the world record in the 110m hurdles to 12.88 in Lausanne in July.

In June, Defar, the reigning Olympic champion in the 5000 meters, set a world record of 14:24.53 over the distance at the Reebok Grand Prix in New York in June, retained her world indoor title in the 3000 meters, and capped the season with a win at the World Cup. Simpson, 22, emerged as the premiere women's sprinter in the world this year, winning her last nine races in the 100 meters. She was also the year's world leader at both the 100 and 200 after her 10.82/22.00 double victory at June's Jamaican national championships.

Last year, world record holders Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia and Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia received the annual honor, each for the second straight time. Since the award's inception in 1988, only two athletes have earned the honor more than twice. Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco, the world record holder in the 1500m and the mile who retired from competition this year, was named athlete of the year three consecutive times, from 2001-2003. U.S. sprinter Marion Jones received the accolade in 1997, 1998 and 2000..

Previous World Athletes of the Year (Men/Women):

1988 - Carl Lewis (USA) / Florence Griffith-Joyner (USA) 1989 - Roger Kingdom (USA) / Ana Fidelia Quirot (CUB) 1990 - Steve Backley (GBR) / Merlene Ottey (JAM) 1991 - Carl Lewis (USA) / Katrin Krabbe (GER) 1992 - Kevin Young (USA) / Heike Henkel (GER) 1993 - Colin Jackson (GBR) / Sally Gunnell (GBR) 1994 - Noureddine Morceli (ALG) / Jackie Joyner-Kersee 1995 - Jonathan Edwards (GBR) / Gwen Torrence (USA) 1996 - Michael Johnson (USA) / Svetlana Masterkova (RUS) 1997 - Wilson Kipketer (DEN) / Marion Jones (USA) 1998 - Haile Gebrselassie (ETH) / Marion Jones (USA) 1999 - Michael Johnson (USA) / Gabriela Szabo (ROM) 2000 - Jan Zelezny (CZE) / Marion Jones (USA) 2001 - Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR) / Stacy Dragila (USA) 2002 - Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR) / Paula Radcliffe (GBR) 2003 - Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR) / Hestrie Cloete(RSA) 2004 - Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) / Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS) 2005 - Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) / Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS)

(c) 2006 TRACK PROFILE Report, all rights reserved