Lance Armstrong, who won his seventh consecutive Tour de France, was honored as the AP Male Athlete of the Year for the fourth straight year on Wendesday.
He is the only athlete to be selected by US sports writers four times since the honor first was awarded in 1931.
Armstrong received 30 of the 83 votes cast. US college gridiron football running back Reggie Bush of the University of Southern California was second with 23 votes, and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning was third with eight, followed by tennis star Roger Federer and golf's Tiger Woods with seven each.
"It's nice to win," Armstrong said. "I'll never win again."
The 34-year-old Armstrong retired this year.
His final Tour was another dominant performance -- he won by the comfortable margin of 4 minutes, 40 seconds. Stepping off the winner's podium for the final time, his goal was to kick back "with a beer, having a blast" and play with his three young children from his first marriage.
AP Female Athlete
Annika Sorenstam, who became the first woman in 19 years to capture the first two legs of the Grand Slam and won 10 times on the US LPGA Tour, won the AP Female Athlete of the Year on Wednesday, making Sorenstam the first golfer since Zaharias (1945-1947) to win the award three straight years.
"I am flattered and honored to be chosen by so many different editors," said Sorenstam, who received 47 of 81 votes cast by US. AP newspaper and broadcast members.
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