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World and Olympic hammer throw champion Primoz Kozmus and cross-country star Petra Majdic have been selected Slovenian Athletes of the Year for 2009.

The national football team was honoured as the best team in Slovenia at the annual awards ceremony in Ljubljana on Tuesday.

Kozmus and Majdic were clear winners in a poll of 140 Slovenian sports journalists for the annual awards handed out by the Association of Slovenian Sports Journalists.

Kozmus, who added the world championship title to his 2008 Olympic gold, and Majdic, who just missed out on the overall World Cup title, collected 369 and 371 votes, respectively.

This is the third consecutive title for the 30-year-old hammer thrower, who shocked Slovenia in October by announcing that he was retiring. It is also the third time that Majdic has been voted best female athlete - along with this year's, she also won in 2006 and 2007.

Second place among the men went to Peter Kauzer (154 votes), the reigning world whitewater kayak champion. Hockey player Anze Kopitar, Slovenia's only NFL player, was third with 108 points.

In the women's category, skier Tina Maze took second place with 284 votes and judoka Urska Zolnir, who became European champion in April, was third with 72 points.

It was a no-contest in the voting for the best team: riding on the wave of popularity following its qualification for the World Cup, the football team received 99 points, 64 more than the second-placed basketball team, who finished fourth at the European Championships.

Prior to the event, the winners were received by President Danilo Tuerk, who also held an address at the ceremony, which was attended also by PM Borut Pahor.

The awards have been given out for 42 years. The event is organised by the

Association of Slovenian Sports Journalists, the Slovenian Olympic Committee and the

Ministry of Education and Sport in cooperation with a number of partners.

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