Rowers awarded around the world

To follow is a list of award winners the globe over.

Germany honoured their men's eight, World Rowing Championship winners, by naming them as fourth best team in the country. The German football team finished first. Junior champions, Kerstin Hartmann and Katrin Reinert, were named Junior Athlete/Team of the Year. Hartmann and Reinert won gold in the junior women's pair.

In Sweden women’s single sculling World Rowing Championships bronze medallist Frida Svensson became Rower of the Year while Swedish Rowing Gymnasium coach Johan Lidberg is Coach of the Year.

New Zealand’s Mahe Drysdale, double World Champion, is on the short list for the national award of New Zealand Sportsperson of the Year. This will be decided on 15 February.

The Czech Rowing Association chose women’s single sculler, World silver medallist Mirka Knapkova as Crew/Rower of the year. Men’s single Ondrej Synek came in second.

Honoured by the Cuban Rowing Federation, Ismarais Marrero was the top woman following her success in the Central and Caribbean Games. Marrero also finished eighth in the lightweight single at the World Rowing Championships. Yoennis Hernandez was honoured as the top male rower. At the World Rowing Championships Hernandez finished 11th in the men’s single.

Romania honoured Ana Maria Apachitei. The 22 year old was part of Romania’s senior eight as well as women’s pair gold medallist at the World Rowing Under 23 Championships and fourth place finish in the eight at this same event. Also an under 23 rower, Valetin Piticariu topped the men’s list for 2006. Piticariu finished second in the quad at the World Rowing Under 23 Championships and then joined the senior team for a B Final finish, also in the quad.

Voted by her rowing peers in Australia, Brooke Pratley was chosen as Rowers’ Rower of the Year. Pratley was half of the women’s double that dethroned the reigning World Champions, New Zealand. Together with team-mate, Liz Kell, Pratley also picked up Women’s Rower/Crew of the Year. Pratley’s coach, Adrian David became the Coach of the Year. David was also nominated for 2006 FISA Coach of the Year. The Men’s Rower/Crew of the Year went to pair winners of the World Champs, Duncan Free and Drew Ginn.

In Slovenia the Association of Slovenian Sports Journalists chose the men’s double of Iztok Cop and Luka Spik as the best Team of the Year. The choice was made after the medals collected throughout the season by Cop and Spik.

Meanwhile in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, winner of the World Championship lightweight women’s single, Marit van Eupen was re-elected as Sports Personality of the Year.

Julien Bahain from the French men’s quad received the “Trophée Micheline Ostermeyer des Espoirs”. This award recognises a talented athlete who is, at the same time, doing high level studies outside of sport. Bahain is an engineering student.

Based on Hungary Rowing Federation recommendations, the Hungarian News Agency chose lightweight double rower Tamas Varga as Best Male Rower of the Year and up-and-coming women’s double rower, Lidia Veroci as Best Female Rower.

Voted by their peers, the United States chose Anna Mickelson as Female athlete of the Year and Brett Newlin as Male Athlete of the Year. Mickelson was part of the World Best Time setting and gold medal women’s eight. Newlin, as a member of the men’s squad, raced in the men’s coxed four at the World Rowing Championships and also was part of the winning eight at Germany’s E.ON Hanse Cup.

The Greek Rowing Federation honoured all finalists at the World Rowing Championships and Rowing World Cups. While in Italy, new head coach Andrea Coppola was honoured as top trainer.