Tom Boonen has been awarded one of Belgian sport's highest honours, the Nationale Trofee voor Sportverdienste, which can only be given to an athlete once in his or her career. The award was in recognition of Boonen's stellar 2005 season, which included wins at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, and the world championship.
Previous recipients of the award include cyclist Eddy Merckx, footballer Paul van Himst and tennis star Kim Clijsters, while last year it went to Axel Merckx for his bronze medal in the Olympic road race.
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