At the halfway point of the 2010 World Open Water Swimming Performance of the Year, over 8,000 online votes have been cast for the 21 nominees.
Each of the individuals nominated in the annual award is a hero or heroine in their own way, symbolizing the best of the sport of open water swimming.
The group – and the sport in general – includes everyone from newcomers who are just getting over their fears of swimming past the waves to incredibly courageous veterans who battle hours (if not days) in cold, harsh, unforgiving oceans.
These individuals, among hundreds of thousands of everyday heroic individuals, best embody the spirit of open water swimming, possess the sense of adventure, tenacity and perseverance that open water swimmers are known for, and demonstrated impressive open water swimming performances this year:
1. Marcellus Wiley (USA) – 1,288 votes (to date)
2. Swim 22 (USA) – 1,077
3. Ventura Deep Six (USA) – 804
4. Jamie Patrick (USA) – 760
5. Marcelo Collet (Brazil) – 576
6. Vojislav Mijic (Serbia) – 541
7. Spyridon Gianniotis, Antonios Fokaidis and Kalliope Araouzou (Greece) – 519
8. Miguel Vadillo (Mexico) – 491
9. Mexican American Unity Swim (Mexico/USA) – 407
10. Alex Meyer (USA) – 374
11. John Van Wisse (Australia) – 320
12. Ian van der Hulst (Netherlands) – 213
13. Chloe McCardel (Australia) – 167
14. Stephen Redmond (Ireland) – 141
15. Finy Fichera (Italy) – 127
16. Rachel Golub, Patricia Sener, Cristian Vergara (USA/Chile) – 89
17. Rob Dumouchel (USA) – 50
18. Penny Palfrey (Australia) – 41
19. Lewis Pugh (Great Britain) – 35
20. Philippe Croizon (France) – 22
21. Damme-Brugge Race (Belgium) – 5
Throughout the first month, the leaders have changed quite frequently as the votes continue to come in from six continents. If the past years are any indicator, this next month will show continued changes right up to December 31st.
Congratulations to all the nominees.
Photo shows the Ventura Deep Six who were dramatically filmed by Jim Martin.
Copyright © 2010 by Open Water Source