Athlete Haile Gebrselassie to receive Prince of Asturias Award
Ethopian long-distance runner wins out over Spanish soccer star Raúl
Ethiopian athlete Haile Gebrselassie has been named the recipient of this year's Prince of Asturias Prize for Sport. The 38-year-old runner prevailed over ex-Real Madrid and Spain soccer star Raúl González in the final round of voting by 26 votes to three.
The jury praised his "sporting and humanitarian excellence", and said that "he has been a myth, challenging his own legend until the end of his career."
Winner of two 10,000m Olympic golds, Gebrselassie has also broken world records, notably shaving 27 seconds off his own record marathon time in Berlin in 2008 at age 35.
