PHOENIX, Arizona, December 1. THIS year's winners of the male and female 2007 World Swimmers of the Year, Laure Manaudou and Michael Phelps, are the cover personalities for the December issue of Swimming World. Manaudou is the first winner of the award from France, while Phelps has won the honor four out of the last five years to tie Ian Thorpe for the most times awarded.
Phelps was a unanimous choice of a panel of international judges, while Manaudou was the eventual winner in a close race with Natalie Coughlin, Katie Hoff, Kate Ziegler and Australian Libby Lenton.
Swimming World Magazine has been announcing World Swimmers of the Year since 1965. It is considered the most prestigious award in swimming.
"With the year that numerous athletes had this year, to be able to receive this award is definitely something special. I have to thank coach Bob Bowman and the support from my sister and mom," Michael Phelps told SwimmingWorld.TV.
Here are some excerpts from features in the magazine on both Phelps and Manaudou:
MICHAEL PHELPS, United States
World Male Swimmer of the Year
Surprise! Michael Phelps is Swimming World Magazine's Male World Swimmer of the Year. He was a unanimous selection, having won seven gold medals at the FINA World Championships in Melbourne.
By claiming his fourth World Swimmer of the Year nod in the last five years, Phelps equaled Ian Thorpe for the most titles. He also captured his sixth American Swimmer of the Year honor to build on his record in that region.
THE WORLD TOP FIVE
1. MICHAEL PHELPS, USA
2. Ryan Lochte, USA
3. Aaron Peirsol, USA
4. Brendan Hansen, USA
5. Tae Hwan Park, Korea
THE AMERICAN TOP FIVE
1. MICHAEL PHELPS, USA
2. Ryan Lochte, USA
3. Aaron Peirsol, USA
4. Brendan Hansen, USA
5. Ben Wildman-Tobriner, USA
LAURE MANAUDOU, France
World Female Swimmer of the Year
Laure Manaudou is the first swimmer from France to win Swimming World Magazine's Female World Swimmer of the Year award.
"I am very happy and proud to be selected as the World Swimmer of the Year," Manaudou said. "I have worked hard in order to get the results I've had over the last few years, and this selection is recognition of all my hard work and sacrifice. Becoming a top-level athlete is a hard task, and staying at this level requires a strong commitment on a day-to-day basis."
As the best female swimmer in the world, Manaudou walked away with Female European Swimmer of the Year honors as well.
THE WORLD TOP FIVE
1. LAURE MANAUDOU, France
2. Katie Hoff, USA
3. Libby Lenton, Australia
4. Kate Ziegler, USA
5. Natalie Coughlin, USA
THE EUROPEAN TOP FIVE
1. LAURE MANAUDOU, France
2. Therese Alshammar, Sweden
3. Otylia Jedrzejczak, Poland
4. Federica Pellegrini, Italy
4. Britta Steffen, Germany
Read what other media are saying about the award.
Click here for a preview of the multimedia items available in the December issue.
Premium subscribers who download and read the December Issue of Swimming World Magazine from the Premium Section will be able to enjoy all the multimedia elements embedded in the issue.
The December issue contains the following SwimmingWorld.TV interviews:
* Interview with 1936 Olympian Adolph Kiefer
* Interview with Olympian George Breen
* Genadijus Sokolovas – Director of Sports Science for USA Swimming
* Interview with Sprinter Cullen Jones
* Interview with Libby Lenton's Coach Stephan Widmer
This issue is truly interactive with nearly 90 embedded Internet links where Premium Subscribers can get the rest of the story, results or visit the web sites of Swimming World Magazine's advertisers.
Become a Premium Member Today to take advantage of these great digital versions of Swimming World Magazine.
