Keisha Hill, Staff Reporter
The top sports personalities for 2007, Asafa Powell (left) and Veronica Campbell (right), pose with Minister of Information, Culture, Youth and Sport, Olivia Grange.
West Indies captain Chris Gayle holds his category award for cricket. - Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer
Leader of the Opposition Portia Simpson Miller (left) presents the female category award for athletics to Veronica Campbell.
Tuesday's RJR Sports Foundation's awards ceremony at The Pegasus hotel in New Kingston was a gala affair.
The ceremony, in its third successive year, recognised a number of individuals and organisations for their contribution to the development of sports in Jamaica.
The top awards went to world 100 metres record holder Asafa Powell and World Championships 100m gold medallist Veronica Campbell-Brown who were crowned Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year, respectively. The runners-up were decathlete Maurice Smith and sprint hurdler Delloreen-Ennis London.
Other outstanding individuals were presented with certificates of merit for their contribution to their respective sports. They include John Green for services to youth football in Clarendon, Lorna Bell for contribution and service to Special Olympics in Jamaica, Yvette Smith for netball, Norris Davis for hockey and the Inter-Secondary Schools Association (ISSA) for contribution to the development of scholastic sports.
Special awards were also made to individual junior athletes who performed well throughout the year including Dexter Lee, Ramone McKenzie, Nickel Ashmeade, Latoya McDermott and Shermaine Williams for their sterling performances at the World Youth Championships.
The World Championships women's 4x100m and 4x400m silver medal winning teams, the men's 4x100m quartet which collected silver and the women's sprint relay team which won gold at the Pan American Games, in Rio de Janeiro, were also rewarded for their excellent achievements.
The men's National Under-20 team, who took home the silver medal at last year's Pan American games, and the women's senior team were lauded for their contribution to football in Jamaica.
KFC Cup Champions, Jamaica's Senior Men's Cricket team, the Regional One Day Under-19 Champions and the visually-impaired cricket team were also recognised.
Also earning special mention were Jamaica's Sunshine Girls who placed third at the World Netball Championships in Auckland late last year and the Under-20 Sevens Rugby team, qualifiers for the Youth World Trophy Championships.
In the category awards for males, Asafa Powell was tops in track and field, Chris Gayle, cricket; Keammar Daley, football and Ricardo Smith for boxing. In the female category, Veronica Campbell-Brown received an award for track and field, Tashana Vincent, women's football; Romelda Aiken, netball and Karen Anderson for squash.
diplomatic skills
Former Chief Executive Officer of Cricket World Cup 2007, Chris Dehring, received the Chairman's Award for his keen diplomatic skills and extraordinary leadership in the success of World Cup Cricket 2007, staged in the Caribbean.
According to Michael Hall, chairman of the RJR Sports Foundation, "2007 was another excellent year and those who are the architects are now receiving their awards."
Minister of Information, Culture, Youth and Sports Olivia 'Babsy' Grange, in her remarks, stated that Jamaican athletes continued to be ambassadors for their country and offered congratulations to the winners and nominees for their excellent performances and achievements.
"All the athletes here are most deserving of their awards. I am very proud to see Asafa and Veronica taking the titles of Sportsman and Sportswoman, respectively. They have done exceptionally well and have made Jamaica proud," Grange said.
Chairman of the RJR Sports Foundation Michael Hall (left) presents the prestigious Chairman's Award to Chris Dehring, the managing director and CEO of last year's ICC Cricket World Cup.
The top sports personalities for 2007, world 100 metres record holder Asafa Powell and World Championships 100 metres gold medallist Veronica Campbell.
Asafa Powell collects his male category award for athletics from Leader of the Opposition Portia Simpson Miller.
Five of the seven male nominees for the RJR Sports Foundation's 2007 Sportsman of the Year. From left: Danny McFarlane, Asafa Powell, Maurice Smith, Usain Bolt and Chris Gayle. The two absentees were Dorian Scott and Darren Powell.
Five of the seven female nominees for Sportswoman of the Year. From left: Karen Anderson, Delloreen Ennis-London, Nickiesha Wilson, Tashana Vincent and Veronica Campbell-Brown. Absent are Novlene Williams and Sherri Ann Brooks.
