COLORADO SPRINGS. Colorado. Dec 11: Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong and US Open tennis champions Andre Agassi and Serena Williams were among the finalists announced by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) for its 1999 sportsman-and sportswoman-of-the-year awards, reports Reuters.

Armstrong, Agassi and sprinter Maurice Greene were the three finalists for the USOC sportsman-of-the-year. Joining Williams as sportswoman-of-the-year finalists were swimmer’ Jenny Thompson and women's soccer star Michelle Akers.

Armstrong, who had already defied incredible odds by beating cancer he was not expected to survive, took the sporting world by storm with his inspirational Totlr de France victory this summer. He became only the second American to win the world's most prestigious cycling event, and did it in such spectacular fashion that he helped erase memories of the dopingscandals that plagued the 1998 Tour.

Agassi won the French and US Opens, reached the Wimbledon final and finished the finest year of his career as the number one ranked tennis player in the world. His French Open title made him one of just five men to have won all four Grand Slam titles in their careers.

Greene laid claijn to the world's fastest man title in 1999 by breaking the 100 meters world record with a time of 9.97 seconds. He also captured three gold medals at the World Championships, winning the 100 and 200 meters as well running on the victorious 4x100 relay team, and won 60 meters gold at the World Indoor Championships.

Williams enjoyed a sensational breakthrough year in which she won her first five career WTA Tour singles titles, including the US Open at the age of 17. Williams, who also won the US Open doubles crown with older sister Venus, had wins over every other top player in 1999 and finished the year ranked fourth in the world.

The winners will receive their awards on January 8. at the US Olympic Awards Dinner in Indianapolis.