I am delighted to be here with you as we celebrate the best athletes of the year, look back on a great year and honour the new class of the IAAF Hall of Fame.

Jamaican sprint superstar Usain Bolt made two major revelations when speaking to the world s media ahead of the 2013 World Athletics Gala in Monaco on Saturday (16).

Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce were crowned as the Male and Female World Athletes of the Year at the World Athletics Gala on Saturday night (16), a fitting climax to the Jamaican athletes stunning seasons.

For this year s edition of the Yokohama Women s Marathon, an IAAF Silver Label Road Race, Albina Mayorova set her own pace. And it paid off on Sunday (17) with yet another victory for the Russian in Japan.

Felix Kipkemoi Keny fulfilled predictions that the 2013 Divina Pastora Valencia Marathon, an IAAF Bronze Label Road Race, would provide the fastest Marathon ever seen in Spain when he won the event in 2:07:14 on Sunday (17).

In just her second ever race over the classic distance, Kenya s Rebecca Chesire held off a late charge from marathon debutante Elvan Abeylegesse to win the Vodafone Istanbul Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, on Sunday (17).