By Anthony Foster, Freelance WriterTEN MEN and nine women have been nominated for the Carreras Sports Foundation's Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year awards for 2003.
World Championship silver medallists James Beckford, Lorraine Fenton and sprint hurdler Brigitte Foster head the list of nominees who were announ-ced yesterday by Michael Hall, chairman of the Foun-dation, at a press conference at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel.
The respective winners will be crowned at a ceremony scheduled for Wednesday, January 14, at the Jamaica Pegasus.
NATIONAL RECORD
Besides Beckford, last year's winner, 400 metres runner Michael Blackwood who finished fourth at the World Championships; Chris Gayle, who ended the year as top all-round cricketer and Germaine Mason, who won gold at the Pan Am Games and broke the national record three times last year, also number among the male nominees.
West Indies cricketer Wavell Hinds, 400m hurdlers Danny McFarlane and Kemel Thomp-son, Pan Am Games badminton doubles bronze medallist Charles Pyne, and Pan Am Games gold medallist, sprinter Michael Frater, are the other men nominated.
Sprint hurdler Foster and Fenton both had an outstanding season last year.
FASTEST TIME
Apart from winning silver in her pet event at the World Champs, the number two ranked Foster took top honours at last July's Pan American Games. She also ran the fastest time at the Prefontaine Classic in May over the obstacle event, 12.45 seconds, which is a national record.
Fenton, who ended the year as the top 400 metres runner behind Mexico's Ana Guevara, took silver at the World Championships where she also copped bronze as a member of the mile relay team.
Also named among the female nominees are - sprinter Allison Beckford, a member of the relay teams which won bronze at the World Championships and silver at the Pan American Games; swimmer Janelle Atkinson, Pan American bronze medallist (400 & 800m freestyle); Nigella Saunders, Pan Am badminton gold medallist; Carla Williams, third highest scoring average at World Netball Championships; Lacena Golding-Clarke, 100m Pan Am bronze winner; Beverly McDonald, 100m finalist at World Championship; Jamaica and NCAA sprint double champion Aleen Bailey; and Vonette Dixon, World Championships 100m hurdle finalist.
