Rafael Nadal voted 2nd in USSA Athlete of the Year

David Villa of Spain and Kim Yu-Na of South Korea have been named the United States Sports Academy's 2010 Male and Female Athletes of the Year.

Villa scored five goals in helping Spain to its first FIFA World Cup title, while Kim won the women's singles gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Each beat out a field of 11 other candidates.

Tennis stars Rafael Nadal and Kim Clijsters finished second in the worldwide fan voting, which was available on usatoday.com and nbcsports.com.

Boxer Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines, the Academy?s 2009 Male Athlete of the Year, placed third in the men's category after becoming the first boxer in history to win 10 world championship belts in eight weight classes.

The Athlete of the Year ballot is the culmination of the USSA's yearlong Athlete of the Month program, which recognizes the accomplishments of men and women in sports around the globe. The Athlete of the Month is selected by an international voting committee comprised of media members and representatives of sports organizations and governing bodies.

The United States Sports Academy is an independent special mission sports university created to serve the world with programs in instruction, research and service. The role of the Academy is to prepare men and women for careers in the profession of sports.

Courtesy: USAToday