Top Athletes
Contents:
• Every year, the American Academy of Sports conducts a survey of thousands of fans, choosing the best athletes of the year. In the last ten days of December, the finalists for this year were announced. It's nice that, despite all the political disagreements and information wars, sports fans unanimously voted for Russian Maria Sharapova.
In today's selection, we present those who have earned the honorary title – top athletes . Voting determined three finalists among athletes of both sexes.
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Top 3 Women's Athletes of the Year
3. Kathy Ledecky
The American swimmer holds world records in the 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle. Ledecky set her last record in August at the prestigious Pacific Championships.
2. Genzebe Dibaba
Ethiopian runner specializes in long distances. Genzebe's sister and cousin are also athletes, moreover, Olympic champions. Dibaba herself set two "fresh" world records in February – at distances of 3 thousand and one and a half thousand meters.
1. Maria Sharapova
This year, Masha took second place in the WTA global ranking, losing to American Williams. In the piggy bank of Sharapova for the year of victory in tournaments in Madrid, Stuttgart and Beijing. The best female athlete in the world won the Roland Garros last year.
Top 3 best male athletes of the year
3. Lionel Messi
The striker of the Spanish "Barcelona" has been playing football since the age of five. At the World Cup in Brazil, Messi acted as team captain. For the first time since 1990, the Argentines reached the semi-finals of the Mundial. As a result, the Messi team received the silver of the Championship, losing only to the brilliant German team in the final. Lionel was recognized as the best player in the world tournament.
2. Dennis Kimetto
The Kenyan track and field athlete won the Berlin Marathon in 2014 with a new world record of 2 hours 2 minutes. 57 sec. The athlete lives and trains in his homeland in the small village of Kapngetuni. In November in Athens, Dennis was awarded the title of the best marathon runner in the world.
1. Novak Djokovic
Best Athlete also holds the title of the best racket in the world in singles. This year has been successful for Djokovic not only in tennis, but also in his personal life – the athlete married his longtime girlfriend Elena Ristic. Well, on the court, Novak won 7 titles in a year, including a victory at Wimbledon, as well as in the final ATM tournament.
