
In the end, there will be only one left. The International World Games Association (IWGA) has unveiled the list of 22 athletes and teams nominated for the title of Athlete of the Year 2024Each candidate was nominated by their own international federation for their performances over the past 12 months. China appears in force with four representatives : Yaoyao Hu, who dominated the World Finswimming Championships with five gold medals, Mengmei Li (world champion in tug of war), Xin Tong (world champion in taijijian) and the quartet formed by Xuefeng Ma, Jingwei Shi, Minghe Zhang and Junjie Shi, crowned world gymnastics champion in September. The Canadian Phil Wizard, first Olympic champion in the history of breakdancing, is also on the list.
The other applicants are Sara Lopez (archery), the Japanese women's softball team, Lucie Marie Kretzschmar (beach handball), Mads Brandt Pedersen (canoeing), Allison Hoeft and Sydney Martin (cheerleading), Vanita Krouch ( flag football), Veera Kauppi (floorball), Isabella Lucchin (fistball), Kristin Tattar (flying disc), Rayimjonov Davlatbek (kickboxing), Lise Van Maldeghem (korfball), Joey Hadorn (orienteering), Alexandra Herrera and Montserrat Mejía (racquetball), Duccio Marsili (roller), Seidou Njimouluh (sambo), Veddriq Leonardo (climbing) and Diego Elias (squash). Voting will open on January 9 on the world games website and will include two stages. On January 22, a first round of counting will be carried out: the 10 athletes who have collected the most votes will remain in the running for the title and all the counters will be reset until January 31, closing date of the poll. The athletes ranked in the top three will receive a trophy and a bonus.