Swimming World Announces 2008 European Swimmers of the Year

PHOENIX, Arizona, November 27. WHILE the bulk of our worldwide audience does not celebrate the holiday, Swimming World would still like to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! We definitely had a lot to be thankful for this year in the sport of swimming, and we honor two of the best from this past year in the December issue of Swimming World.

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Today, we announce the top swimmers in Europe with the European Swimmers of the Year as voted by our expert panel. This region proved to be one of the most competitive as the top two finishers in the men's and women's categories were much closer than most of the other regions.

Great Britain's Rebecca Adlington and France's Alain Bernard are the 2008 European Female and Male Swimmers of the Year.

FEMALE
1. REBECCA ADLINGTON, Great Britain
2. Britta Steffen, Germany
3. Federica Pellegrini, Italy
4. Larisa Ilchenko, Russia
5. Alessia Filippi, Italy

Adlington assumed the throne as the Queen of Distance Freestyle this year when she claimed both the 400 and 800 freestyle crowns at the 2008 Olympics. During the penultimate day of the Beijing Games, Adlington erased the oldest remaining world record from the books, and the only one set prior to 2000, when she erased Janet Evans from the books. Adlington clocked a remarkable time of 8:14.10 in the 800 free to clear Evans' nearly 19-year-old record of 8:16.22. She also touched in 4:03.22 to win the 400 free gold. Her European Swimmer of the Year title is also the first claimed by Great Britain since the award was created in 1980.

MALE
1. ALAIN BERNARD, France
2. Laszlo Cseh, Hungary
3. Milorad Cavic, Serbia
4. Maarten van der Weijden, The Netherlands
5. Alexander Dale Oen, Norway

In the closest vote of the year by the expert panel, Bernard edged Hungary's Laszlo Cseh for the Male European Swimmer of the Year award. Bernard claimed a medal of every color in Beijing with a win in the 100 free, silver in the 400 free relay and bronze in the 50 free. Bernard joined Laure Manaudou as the only swimmers from France to win a European Swimmer of the Year honor from Swimming World as Manaudou went back-to-back in 2006-07.

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Rebecca Adlington named 2008 Female European Swimmer of the Year.

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