The traditional survey by Prensa Latina to name the best Latin American-Caribbean sportspeople of the year closed on Friday with an unprecedented result, because Brazilian soccer player Kaka and Ecuadorian race-walker Jefferson Perez tied.

Both finished on the first position, with 31 votes, obtaining over 60 percent of the votes of 98 media, which participated this time in the poll.

Milan"s AC winger led the poll during several days, with his titles in the Champion League and the World Club Championship, besides the best-player titles of those tournaments, the Gold Ball and the FIFA award.

However, an avalanche of votes by the Ecuadorian media allowed Perez, Pan-American champion in Rio de Janeiro and champion of the world in Osaka, Japan, to surmount positions and tie in the last day.

For the Ecuadorian sports idol that was his second victory in the survey, after winning in 1996, thanks to the gold medal won in Atlanta"s Olympic Games.

In the women"s category, Mexican golf player Lorena Ochoa won easily, accumulating 44 votes, due to her excellent performance in the professional circle of that sport.

Ochoa concluded as the leader of the world women division, and was the queen of a season, in which she won eight titles, including that of British Open, the first best recognition of her sports career.

The Brazilian volleyball team also obtained an easy victory. This team won the title of the World League and Cup, to win the crown for the second consecutive year in the poll.

The ten most outstanding sportspeople were Cuban Dayron Robles, athletics, Yargelis Savigne, athletics, Yipsi Moreno, athletics, Driulis Gonzalez, judo, and Mijain Lopez, Greek-Roman wrestling.

Brazilian Marta Vieira, soccer, and Thiago Pereira, swimming, Panamanian Irving Saladino, athletics, and Argentinian Lionel Messi, soccer, and Emmanuel Ginobili. Basketball, were also recognized.

(PL)