Stoychev, Okimoto and Smiley Claim Open Water Awards
ShareThisBulgaria’s Petar Stoychev was voted overwhelmingly as the 2009 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year by the global open water swim site, thewaterisopen.com.
Stoychev, who holds the English Channel world record and recorded five out of eight FINA Grand Prix wins this year, amassed 18,024 votes to win the award, which is designed to honour those who possess a sense of adventure, tenacity and perseverance and have positively influenced open water swimming in 2009.
The equivalent women’s award attracted 21,275 votes, and was won by one of the world’s best endurance athletes, Poliana Okimoto of Brazil. The 26 year-old has competed in events such as the Great Swim Series in Britain but it was her overwhelming victory in the FINA 10km Marathon Swimming World Cup circuit that sealed her victory as woman of the year.
The award for Outstanding Open Water Swim of the year saw Andrew Smiley from the Cayman Islands clinch victory by just 83 votes after three months of voting. The outstanding Special Olympian outvoted the world record breaking Irish Camlough Relay squad to win the award after placing third in the 19-29 age in the non-wetsuit division in the San Francisco Bay in his first ever cold-water experience. He also placed 107th in a field of 800 swimmers in the RCP Tiburon Mile.
Tim Shriver, Chairman of the Special Olympics said: “Far too often athletes with intellectual disabilities, are viewed for what they can’t do. But Andrew Smiley is showing the world what he can do and we congratulate [his effort] for being selected as the Greatest Open Water Swim of 2009. Andrew’s performance in the RCP Tiburon Mile is just one example of how Special Olympics athletes are accomplishing great things that many just dream to achieve.”
The Camlough Team smashed the existing record and set a new Guinness World Record for the Longest Continuous Open Water Relay Swim. 220 relay members collectively swam 232 hours and 52 minutes non-stop (over 9 nights and 10 days) to traverse a total of 685.5K (426.5 miles) in Northern Ireland.
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