The Daily News Of Open Water Swimming

To educate, entertain, and enthuse those who venture beyond the shore

Newsletter

Random News

WOWSA Awards With 2 Days To Go

The heroes and heroines of the open water swimming world are being acknowledged in the WOWSA voting like their predecessors. Each year the global open water swimming community votes special people for a number of awards.

The 2008 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year was multiple-time world champion and Olympian Dr. Edith van Dyke of the Netherlands. The 2008 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year was American race director Randy Nutt of the USA.

The 2009 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year was FINA World Cup champion and Olympian Poliana Okimoto of Brazil. The 2009 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year was multiple world champion and Olympian Petar Stoychev of Bulgaria. The 2009 World Open Water Swimming Performance of the Year was Special Olympics champion Andrew Smilley of the Cayman Islands.

The 2010 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year was channel swimmer Anne Marie Ward of Ireland. The 2010 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year was professional adventure swimmer Marcos Díaz of the Dominican Republic. The 2010 World Open Water Swimming Performance of the Year was the men from Ventura Deep Six of the USA.

With 2 more days until the WOWSA announcement, the votes of 15,080 people from 107 countries are below.

1. Petar Stoychev (Bulgaria) – World Professional Marathon Swimming Champion – 1,584 votes (21%)
2. Jamie Patrick (USA) – Adventure Swimmer – 1,514 votes (20%)
3. Salvatore Cimmino (Italy) – Champion of the Disabled – 840 votes (12%)
4. Bruckner Chase (USA) – Ocean Advocacy and Awareness Visionary – 743 votes (10%)
5. Stephen Redmond (Ireland) – Courageous Channel Challenger – 691 votes (9%)
6. Dr. Roger Allsopp (Great Britain) – Barrier-Breaker – 502 votes (7%)
7. Thomas Lurz (Germany) – World Professional Marathon Swimming Champion – 369 votes (5%)
8. Spyridon Gianniotis (Greece) – World Professional Marathon Swimming Champion – 325 votes (4%)
9. Yutaka Shinozaki (Japan) – Japan International Open Water Swimming Association – 320 votes (4%)
10. Simon Murie (England) – Open Water Swimming Tour Operator and Enabler – 284 votes (4%)
11. Doug Woodring (Hong Kong) –Ocean Recovery Alliance Visionary – 231 votes (3%)
12. Simon Griffiths (England) – Open Water Swimming Publisher Visionary – 189 votes (3%)

1. Pilar Geijo (Argentina) – World Professional Marathon Swimming Champion – 1,907 votes (22%)
2. Penny Palfrey (Australia) – Marathon Swimmer Extraordinaire – 1,495 votes (17%)
3. Elizabeth Fry (USA) – Two Times Makes Double – 970 votes (11%)
4. Ana Marcela Cunha (Brazil) – World Marathon Swimming Champion – 961 votes (11%)
5. Diana Nyad (USA) – Inspiration and Determination Redux – 749 votes (9%)
6. Keri-Anne Payne (Great Britain) – World Champion and Olympic Favorite – 724 votes (8%)
7. Pat Gallant-Charette (USA) – Nursing Marathon Excellence – 506 votes (6%)
8. Pamela Dickson (New Zealand) – Lady of the Lake – 346 votes (4%)
9. Anna-Carin Nordin (Sweden) – Swedish Aloha In The Channels – 345 votes (4%)
10. Angela Maurer (Germany) – Mother of Marathoners – 295 votes (3%)
11. Charlene Wittstock, Her Serene Highness – The Princess of Monaco – 246 votes (3%)
12. Dr. Marcy MacDonald (USA) – Freestyling Foot Doctor (shown above) – 149 votes (2%)

1. 1400K Swim Across Tunisia (Tunisia) – Swim of Peace – 1,958 votes (19%)
2. Selina Moreno Pasagali (Spain) – Marathon Swimming Cancer Survivor – 1,512 votes (15%)
3. Patagonia Extreme Cold Water Challenge (Chile/Argentina) – 1,117 votes (11%)
4. Julie Galloway (Ireland) – Round Jersey – 1,088 votes (11%)
5. Windermere 12-way Warriors (England) – Dozen Times Better – 736 votes (7%)
6. Bridging The Cayman Islands (Cayman Islands) – Captivating Channel Challenge – 565 votes (6%)
7. Ray Gandy (USA) – Two Days in the Bay – 442 votes (4%)
8. The Swim (United Kingdom) – Charity Relay Across the Irish Sea – 433 votes (4%)
9. Japan to Taiwan Ocean Swim Challenge (Japan/Taiwan) – Charity Relay shown above – 412 votes (4%)
10. Rebekah Boscariol (Canada) – Swimming for SickKids – 406 votes (4%)
11. Special Olympics World Summer Game (Greece) – Global Catalyst of Good – 379 votes (4%)
12. Farallon Islands Swimming Association (USA) – Renaissance In San Francisco – 308 votes (3%)
13. Colleen Blair (Scotland) – Swimming Across the Graveyard of Ships – 257 votes (3%)
14. Forrest Nelson (USA) – Making the Round in Catalina – 255 votes (3%)
15. A Swim For The Coastlines, Un Nado Por Las Costas (Dominican Republic) – 135 votes (1%)
16. Progetto Adriatico (Italy to Albania) – Learn To Be Free – 131 votes (1%)
17. Swann Oberson (Switzerland) – Switzerland’s First World Champion – 85 votes (1%)

Voting continues until December 31st.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE

The WOWSA Awards are given not necessarily to the best athletes, but is meant to honor the individuals who (1) best embody the spirit of open water swimming, (2) possess the sense of adventure, tenacity and perseverance that open water swimmers are known for, and (3) have most positively influenced the world of open water swimming in 2011.

Wherever these individuals ultimately finish in the WOWSA Awards, they are all wonderful role models of the sport, representing the epitome of everything that is cool, right and good about open water swimming.

Copyright © 2011 by Open Water Source

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top