Cyclist Mohd Azizulhasni Awang and squash queen Datuk Nicol Ann David were named the 2009 National Sportsman and Sportswoman respectively.
Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin presented the main awards and a RM10,000 incentive each to the two winners at the 2009 National Sports Awards in Kuala Lumpur, Tuesday night.
Nicol, who won the award for the seventh time, was not present as she is still training in Amsterdam.
The award is the first for Azizulhasni, 22, the track cyclist based in Melbourne, Australia, who ranked first in last season's World Cup Series and also ranked first in the Keirin until March last year.
The Terengganu-born cyclist, who is coached by John Beasley of Australia, showed consistent performance last year by winning the silver in the Keirin event at the World Championship in Poland in March before winning the gold in the same event at the World Championship in Beijing in April.
In November, he won the silver in the Keirin at the World Championship in Melbourne.
His string of successes enabled him to triumph over other candidates for the award namely the incumbent Datuk Lee Chong Wei from badminton, Sazali Abdul Samad (body building), Loh Jack Chang (wushu) and Zulmazran Zulkifli (tenpin bowling).
Nicol, 27, dominated the award with her status as the world number one squash player since August 2006.
The Penang lass also won the same award in 1999 and 2003. Throughout last year, Nicol won six championships and emerged the runner-up in two others.
Nicol started the 2009 campaign by finishing as the runner-up in the Kuala Lumpur Open (March) and in the Caymen Islands Open (May) and winning the Texas Open (May), Seoul Open (June), Malaysia Open (July), Singapore Masters (August), Amsterdam Open (September) and Hong Kong Open (October).
The other candidates for the award are Wong Pei Tty/Chin Eei Hui (badminton), Siow Yi Ting (swimming) and Noraseela Khalid (athletics).
The national football team, who ended a 20-year gold medal drought in football in the SEA Games in Laos in December, was named the National Men's Team.
List of award winners at the National Sports Award 2009:
National Sportsman: Mohd Azizulhasni Awang (Cycling)
National Sportswoman: Datuk Nicol Ann David (Squash)
National Men's Team: SEA Games Football Team (Ahmad Fakri Shaarani, Amar Rohidan, Mazlizam Mohamad, Mohd Farizal Marlias, Mohd Baddrol Bakhtiar, Mohd Sabre Mat Abu, Mohd Amirulhadi Zainal, Mohd Asrarruddin Putra, Mohd Nasriq Baharom, S.Kunalan, Mohamad Aidil Zafuan Abd Razak, Mohamad Zakuan Adha Abd Razak, Abdul Manaf Mamat, Mohd Sharbinee Allawee Ramli, K.Gurusamy, Mahalli Jasuli, Mohamad Muslim Ahmad, Mohamad Azmi Muslim Norshahrul Idlan Talaha and Safiq Rahim).
National Women's Team: Leong Mun Yee, Pandelela Rinong (Diving)
National Paralympic Sportsman: Mohamad Salam Sidik (Archery)
National Paralympic Sportswoman: Norhayati Sarnoh (Lawn Bowl)
National Men's Coach: K.Rajagobal (Football), Yoong Thong Foong (Wushu)
National Women's Coach: No winner
National Leadership Award: The late Edmund Yong (Golf)
Sports Figure: No winner
Special Award: Dr T. Ponniyah (Karate).
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