LAUSANNE, Switzerland (CMC) — Sprint legend Usain Bolt crowned an impressive list of achievements in 2012 by winning the international sports journalist award for the world’s top male athlete of 2012.

Bolt received 33.62 per cent of the votes and a total of 1,381 points ahead of American swimmer Michael Phelps and world number one tennis star Serbia’s Novak Djokovic.

Phelps got 11.43 per cent and 468 points, while Djokovic garnered 10.26 per cent of the poll and a total of 422 points.

This year’s poll by the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) involved a panel of 450 sports journalists from 100 countries.

It was conducted for the first time in collaboration with Europe’s leading television sports network Eurosport which ran a “Fans’ Choice” vote on its Facebook page attracting more than 63,000 votes.

The results for the top female athletes of 2012 were much closer than their male counterparts.

US lawn tennis star Serena Williams received 15.78 per cent of the vote and 635 points ahead of London 2012 heptathlon superstar Great Britain’s Jessica Ennis 545 points and 13.55 per cent of the poll.

London 2012 200m gold medallist Allyson Felix from the USA came a close third with 525 points and 13.17 per cent of votes cast.