Adam Peaty and Sarah Sjostrom have won the 2021 LEN awards for top European swimmers with Florian Wellbrock and Sharon van Rouwendaal winning the open water honours.
It was the 13th time since 2008 that the LEN member federations and LEN Officials cast their votes to
choose Europe’s best aquatic athletes with no awards in 2020 because of covid.
Olympic success weighed most in the eyes of the electorate though the outstanding performances at
the European Championships also made an impact.
Photo Courtesy: Rob Schumacher/USA TODAY Sports
Peaty won the award for the fourth time in five years following a year when the Briton continued to rewrite the record books.
At Europeans he completed the quadruple quadruple – making it 16 continental titles in Budapest.
He then became the first Briton to successfully defend an Olympic title when he added the 100m breaststroke gold in Tokyo to his Rio 2016 crown.
There was also mixed medley gold in world-record time and silver with the men’s medley.
Since first winning in 2016, the only athlete other than Peaty to have claimed the award is Kliment Kolesnikov in 2018 when the Russian won three golds among six medals at the European Championships before going on to win six titles at the Youth Olympics.
Peaty garnered 35.5% of the vote ahead of Evgeny Rylov – who won the backstroke double in Tokyo to become the only European to win two individual titles and claimed 22.6% – and Kristof Milak, who took gold and silver in the 200/100 fly.
Photo Courtesy: Rob Schumacher
Sjostrom underlined all her resilience and mental strength in 2021.
The Swede broke her elbow in early February when she fell on ice just south of Stockholm which threatened her participation in the Olympics.
Not only did she compete but she won silver in the 50 free and went on to end the year in sizzling form with four golds at the European Short-Course Championships in Kazan, Russia, and three titles among seven medals at the short-course worlds.
She and was a popular winner garnering 45.2% of the vote ahead of Ranomi Kromowidjojo, who won the 50 free and 50 fly in Budapest.
The Netherlands swimmer, who announced her retirement last week, ended her career with two titles at the World Short-Course Championships in Abu Dhabi in December.
Kathleen Dawson was third (17.7%) – the Briton having won the 100m European backstroke title following a reswim in Budapest before breaking the continental record.
She then led off the British mixed medley relay in Tokyo and finished sixth in the 100 back.
Wellbrock claimed his first LEN Award as he headed the men’s open water swimmers following his masterclass in Tokyo en-route to a crushing victory in the 10k.
He became only the second man to win open water and pool medals at the same Games after taking bronze in the 1500 free.
Wellbrock ended the year with a world record in the 1500 free in Abu Dhabi.
Van Rouwendaal added Olympic silver to her Rio gold, months after winning the 5k and 10k in Budapest.
Tom Daley won the diving award with a landslide 76.7% of the vote after becoming Olympic synchro champion with Matty Lee before taking individual bronze.
Daley also won gold and silver in Budapest and becomes a four-time award winner with his first honour dating back to 2009 when he won his first world title on a memorable evening at the Foro Italico where this year’s Europeans will be held.
A new winner was crowned among the women as Germany’s Tina Punzel finished first, thanks to her
Olympic bronze and four European medals.
Best male swimmer
Adam Peaty (GBR) 35.5%
Evgeny Rylov (RUS) 22.6%
Kristof Milak (HUN) 21.0%
Thomas Dean (GBR) 12.9%
Duncan Scott (GBR) 3.4%
Gregorio Paltrinieri (ITA) 1.6%
Florian Wellbrock (GER) 1.6%
Best female swimmer
Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) 45.2%
Ranomi Kromowidjojo (NED) 22.6%
Kathleen Dawson (GBR) 17.7%
Pernille Blume (DEN) 6.5%
Simona Quadarella (ITA) 6.5%
Leonie Beck (GER) 1.6%
Best Male Open Water Swimmer
Florian Wellbrock (GER) 55.6%
Gregorio Paltrinieri (ITA) 27.0%
Kristof Rasovszky (HUN) 12.7%
Axel Reymond (FRA) 3.2%
Marc-Antoine Olivier (FRA) 1.6%
Best female open water swimmer
Sharon van Rouwendaal (NED) 57.1%
Giulia Gabbrielleschi (ITA) 17.5%
Anna Olasz (HUN) 9.5%
Lea Boy (GER) 7.9%
Oceane Cassignol (FRA) 6.3%
Leonie Beck (GER) 1.6%
Best male diver
Tom Daley (GBR) 76.7%
Patrick Hausding (GER) 9.4%
Evgeniy Kuznetsov (RUS) 9.4%
Aleksandar Bondar (RUS) 3.1%
Jack Laugher (GBR) 1.6%
Best female diver
Tina Punzel (GER) 62.6%
Chiara Pellacani (ITA) 15.6%
Yulia Timoshinina (RUS) 10.9%
Ekaterina Beliaeva (RUS) 7.8%
Elena Bertocchi (ITA) 1.6%
Inge Jansen (NED) 1.6%
Best female artistic swimmer
Svetlana Kolesnichenko (RUS) 35.6%
Svetlana Romashina (RUS) 33.9%
Marta Fiedina (UKR) 28.8%
Best male artistic swimmer
Aleksandr Maltsev (RUS) 66.7%
Pau Ribes (ESP) 22.8%
Nicolo Ogliari (ITA) 10.5%
Best male water polo player
Filip Filipovic (SRB) 50.0%
Dusan Mandic (SRB) 18.3%
Ioannis Fountoulis (GRE) 13.3%
Aleksandar Ivovic (MNE) 10.0%
Viktor Nagy (HUN) 8.3%
Best female water polo player
Beatriz Ortiz (ESP) 51.7%
Anni Espar (ESP) 25.0%
Vasiliki Plevritou (GRE) 8.3%
Ekaterina Prokofyeva (RUS) 8.3%
Alda Magyari (HUN) 6.7%