Anthony Foster, Freelance Writer

Asafa Powell is in line for Performance of the Year after setting a world record of 9.74 seconds in the 100 metres at the Rieti Grand Prix meet in Italy. - AP

Monte Carlo, Monaco:

ASAFA POWELL'S 100m world record run of 9.74 was special. It was so special that the IAAF recognised it as the Best Performance among all male athletes in 2007.

That blistering run by Jamaica's Powell was voted the Performance of the Year.

However, he was not present to collect his award at last night's IAAF World Athletics' Gala held at the Salle des Etoiles of the Sporting Club d'eté, in Monte-Carlo.

Powell achieved the feat on September 9 in Rieti, Italy, a week after his World Championships 100m defeat to American Tyson Gay in Osaka.

The run, which erased his previous best, the then world record of 9.77 seconds, made him the first man to run under 9.8 seconds five times.

Vlasic wins

On the women's side, Croatian Blanka Vlasic was awarded the Performance of the Year award for her World Championships high jump victory in Osaka, which she achieved with a 2.07m clearance.

The legendary Carl Lewis, winner of nine Olympic gold medals in a career spanning two decades, was bestowed with the Hero of Athletics Award. Lewis had already been honoured four times in the history of the World Athletics Gala, as he was elected World Athlete of the Year in 1988 and 1991 and then Athlete of the Century in 1999.

Lewis was also presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997.

Marathon World record holders, Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia and Paula Radcliffe of Great Britain, were awarded with the Inspirational Awards.

The Newcomer of the Year award went to Donald Thomas of The Bahamas; The Rising Star Award was taken by Ruth Bisibori Nyangau of Kenya, while Ukraine's Vitaly Petrov took the Coach's Award.