BRUSSELS – Motor cross champion Stefan Everts and tennis world number one seed Justine Henin-Hardenne were voted Belgium’s sports personalities of the year Wednesday night.

Everts won by a huge margin with almost double the points of his nearest competitor, cyclist Peter Van Petegem, followed by mountain biker Filip Meirhaeghe. It was the third time in a row the Limbourg man had received the honour.

Everts has won seven world motor cross championships in his career, and 72 events, including three in one day.

Henin-Hardenne beat tennis rival Kim Clijsters and basketball player Ann Wauters to add the accolade to the two grand slam events and top WTA ranking she managed to achieve this year.

Henin-Hardenne’s victory put an end to Clijsters’ four-year sportswoman of the year reign. Her absence at the star-studded event however was commented upon almost as much as her win.

Tennis was honoured yet again in the competition’s young hopefuls category, when junior Wimbledon and US Open finalist Kirsten Flipkens, currently world number one in her age category, beat Anderlecht footballer Vincent Kompany and cyclist Johan Van Summeren.

The team award went to Belgium’s motor cross champions, winners of the Nations Trophy, ahead of the women’s 4×100 metre women’s relay team, sixth at the Paris World Championships, and the women’s national basketball team, currently placed sixth in Europe.

[Copyright Expatica News 2003]

Subject: Belgian news