VCB a cinch for women's crown

Andre Lowe, Senior Staff Reporter

Former West Indies captain Chris Gayle and recently crowned Athlete of the Year Jermaine Gonzales lead the nominees for the RJR Sports Foundation Sportsman of the Year award, while the fastest woman in the world last year, Veronica Campbell-Brown, looks like a sure bet for female honours at tonight's ceremony, scheduled for The Jamaica Pegasus hotel.

Tonight's function, which is set to start at 8 o'clock, is the awards' 50th staging and marks the final year of the RJR Sports Foundation's commitment to organise the event.

Gayle, who made the joint 12th highest Test score in history when he smashed a masterful 333 runs against Sri Lanka last November, is the slight favourite among the men's list, which also includes sprint king Usain Bolt, Dorian Scott, Nesta Carter, Lerone Clarke, Errol Kerr, Asafa Powell, Lansford Spence and Brendan Nash.

Gonzales had a wonderful 2010, setting a new mark in the 400m with a 44.40 seconds - the third-fastest time over the distance last year.

Bolt registered the fourth fastest 200m in history last year when he ran 19.56 seconds at the National Stadium but is not expected to figure too prominently in deliberations this time around. Clarke's 100m triumph at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India, Carter's joint world's fastest 9.78 seconds 100m run are all expected to finish behind Gayle's knock in the deliberations.

Gayle, if he gets the nod, would gain his first lien on the award and he would become the first cricketer to win since Courtney Walsh did so in 2000.

Track and field's domination of the female category is, however, set to continue as Campbell-Brown, who won the 60m in 7.00 seconds flat at the IAAF World Indoor Championships before going on to post the fastest times in the 100m (10.78 seconds) and 200m (21.98 seconds), is the clear favourite in this category.

Other female nominees are Commonwealth Games triple jump champion Trecia Smith, outstanding cricketer Stafanie Taylor, swimmer Alia Atkinson and athletes Sheree Francis, Kaliese Spencer and Nickiesha Wilson.

The last time a non-track and field athlete won the sportswoman of the year award was in 1976 when West Indies Cricket Hall of Fame inductee Vivalyn Latty-Scott won it.

Four-time winner

Campbell-Brown has won the award on four previous occasions, in 2004, 2005, 2007, and 2008 when she shared the prize with Melaine Walker.

Jamaican sprinting great Merlene Ottey, who has won seven individual Olympic, 10 individual World Championships and six indoor medals is also set to be recognised at the function with one of two lifetime achievement awards. Ottey has won the Sportswoman Award 13 times.

Boxer Michael McCallum, winner of world titles at three different weight divisions, will be the other recipient of the lifetime achievement award.

There are six nominees for the People's Choice Award, which encourages the general public to text in and vote for their favourite performers. The contenders are athletes Campbell-Brown, Nesta Carter and Gonzales, footballer Keammar Daley, cricketer Gayle and female jockey Georgina Sergeon.

There will be category awards, which will see an outstanding sportsman or sportswoman being named for the major sporting disciplines. Special awards will also be presented to athletes in the junior category, relay teams and national teams. Certificates of merit will be presented to persons who have made significant contributions to sports over several years.

American Edwin Moses, who won two Olympic (1976, 1984) and two World Championships (1983, 1987) gold medals in the 400m hurdles, will be the guest speaker at the function.