PHOENIX, Arizona, November 30. WITH just one more day until we announce Swimming World Magazine's World Swimmers of the Year, here are the American Female and European Male honorees as well as some excerpts from features on each swimmer in our December issue.
With the Olympics on the horizon, the USA's Katie Hoff has everything going for her. In 2007, she set her first world record and turned in world-class performances in multiple events, giving her plenty of options for Beijing.
KATIE HOFF, United States
Female American Swimmer of the Year
It was just a matter of time. Having been so close on a handful of occasions, Katie Hoff was due to register the first individual world record of her career. Without question, the North Baltimore Aquatic Club standout picked a fabulous moment to deliver.
Contesting her final race of the World Championships in Melbourne, Hoff lopped a large chunk of time off the global standard in the 400 IM, clocking 4:32.89 to better the 2000 record of Ukrainian Yana Klochkova (4:33.59). Ultimately, the victory carried Hoff to her third consecutive Swimming World Magazine Female American Swimmer of the Year award.
THE TOP FIVE
1. KATIE HOFF, USA
2. Kate Ziegler, USA
3. Natalie Coughlin, USA
4. Leila Vaziri, USA
5. Margaret Hoelzer, USA
Poland's Mateusz Sawrymowicz put an end to Australia's 16-year-old world title streak in the men's 1500 meter freestyle when he clocked 14:45.94 at the World Championships in Melbourne. Next up: the Olympics in Beijing.
MATEUSZ SAWRYMOWICZ, Poland
Male European Swimmer of the Year
Just two years after Otylia Jedrzejczak put the Polish flag on the swimming map by winning Swimming World Magazine's Female European Swimmer of the Year award, Mateusz Sawrymowicz joined her as the second swimmer from Poland to claim a regional swimmer of the year honor. The win also knocked Hungary's Laszlo Cseh from his perch as the two-time defending award winner.
"I am mostly just a distance swimmer, so to be chosen as the best in Europe from among so many good, versatile swimmers is an honor," Sawrymowicz said upon being notified of the award.
THE TOP FIVE
1. MATEUSZ SAWRYMOWICZ, Poland
2. Filippo Magnini, Italy
3. Stefan Nystrand, Sweden
4. Alain Bernard, France
5. Oleg Lisogor, Ukraine
