The World Open Water Swimming Association announces the nominees for the 2022 WOWSA Awards and to open voting to the general public. These awards recognize the hard work, dedication, and outstanding achievements in open water swimming from around the globe. Jenny Smith of Chattanooga is nominated for the WOWSA Performance of the Year.
Ms. Smith is the First and Fastest American, has the Women's Non Wetsuit World Record, 49th athlete to compete Enduroman Arch to Arc: Run 87 Miles London to Dover, Swim the English Channel (and swam EC in 2017), the cycle 181 miles from the French Shores of Calais to Paris.
This year’s awards received 143 nominations, which were evaluated by the 94 members of the WOWSA Awards Voting Academy and narrowed down to 10 finalists in each category. The 60 nominees, hailing from 23 different countries, best exemplify the spirit of open water swimming and embody the sense of adventure, tenacity, and perseverance that makes this sport so special.
Here are the nominees in each category:
Man of the Year: Steve “Seal” Stievenart (France), Lewis Pugh, OIG (South Africa), Gregorio Paltrinieri (Italy), Joe Zemaitis (USA), Andy Donaldson (Scottland), Axel Reymond (France), Paddy Conaghan (Ireland), Petar Stoychev (Bulgaria), Florian Wellbrock (Germany), Marcin Szarpak (Poland)
Woman of the Year: Sarah Thomas (USA), Ana Marcela Cunha (Brazil), Bárbara Hernández Huerta (Chile), Sharon Van Rouwendaal (Netherlands), Catherine Breed (USA), Kate Steels (UK), Pat Gallant-Charette (USA), Merle Liivand (Estonia), Susan Simmons (Canada), Dina Levacic (Croatia)
Performance of the Year: Sarah Thomas (USA), Team Bits Missing (UK), John & Joe Zemaitis (USA), Adherbal de Oliveira (Brazil), Jenny Smith (USA), Marion Joffle (France), Dr. Marcela Macdonald, DPM (USA), Krysztof Kubiak (Poland), Gustav Kvikant (Sweden), Marek Lehocky & Dr. Steven Minaglia (USA)
Para Performance of the Year: Jeremy McClure (Australia), Team Bits Missing (UK), Lisala Folau (Tonga), Spirit Orcas (Canada), Tamás Patkás (Hungary), Guilherme Linhares de Oliveira Gomes (Brazil), Mark Omrod, MBE (UK), Patricia Heffernan (Ireland), Théo Curin (France), Tina Deeken (Germany)
Event of the Year: S.C.A.R. Swim Challenge (USA), Rottnest Channel Swim (Australia), Por Ellas (Mexico), Kingdom Swim (USA), Leme to Pontal Swimming Association (Brazil), Traversée internationale du lac Saint-Jean (Canada), HITtheWall (Ireland), Gdynia Winter Swimming Cup (Poland), Burghausen Winter Swimming World Cup (Germany), Svalbard Ice Swimming Adventure (Norway)
Product or Service of the Year: Cork Distance Week (Ireland), Swim Secure Tow Float (UK), WOWSA Webinar & Education Series (USA), Sharkbanz (USA), dryrobe® (UK), THEMAGIC5 (USA), Morocco Swim Trek (Morocco), SwimOut (UK), The Cold Fix (UK), Sting No More (USA)
Visit the official WOWSA Awards website to learn more about the nominees and to cast their vote.
Cast a vote here: https://www.openwaterswimming.com/wowsa-awards-2022-vote/