2008 World Open Water Swimming Man and Woman of the Year

These awards are not necessarily for the best athlete, but are to honor those who best embody the spirit of open water swimming, possess the sense of adventure, tenacity and perseverance that open water swimmers are known for, and have most positively influenced the world of open water swimming in 2008.

MALE:
• Dmitrij Belov (Russia), National Team Coach
• Emilio Casanueva (USA/Chile), Sanctioning Body President
• Sid Cassidy (USA), Chairman and Global Administrator
• David Davies (UK), Cross-over Olympian
• Sam Greetham, (Britain) LEN Open Water Committee Secretary and Director of British Swimming
• Chad Ho (South Africa), Tough Teenager
• Alex Kostich (USA), Master Extraordinaire
• Thomas Lurz (Germany), Professional Swimmer
• Randy Nutt (USA), Coach, Promoter and Race Director
• Bob Placak (USA), Generous Visionary and Promoter
• Scott Rice (New Zealand), Open Water Branding Expert
• Petar Stoychev (Bulgaria), Record Holder
• Douglas Woodring (Hong Kong), Race Innovator
• Maarten van der Weijden (Netherlands), Olympic Champion

  FEMALE:

• Marcia Cleveland (USA), Administrator, Promoter and Coach
• Natalie du Toit (South Africa), Inspirational Athlete and Spokeswoman
• Jennifer Figge (USA), Atlantic Ocean Adventurer
• Larisa Ilchenko (Russia), Olympic Champion
• Britta Kamrau (Germany), Professional Swimmer
• Angela Maurer (Germany), Professional Swimmer and Mother
• Sandy Neilson-Bell (USA), Race Director and Promoter
• Penny Palfrey (Australia), Marathon Swimming Adventurer
• Shelley Taylor-Smith (Australia), Passionate Promoter and Global Administrator
• Edith van Dijk (Netherlands), Open Water Swimming Legend
• Zhang Liang (China), Beijing Olympic Volunteer Extraordinaire

Voting at www.10kswimmer.com. Polls close on December 31, 2008.