PHELPS AND DE BRUIJN NAMED FINA AQUATICS MAGAZINE'S SWIMMERS OF THE DECADE

Posted in Swimming

FINA, michael phelps and inga de bruijn athens olympics.jpgMarch 25: Lausanne (SUI): Michael Phelps (USA) and Inge de Bruijn (NED) have been elected the best athletes of the decade in all aquatic disciplines according to a poll of swimming experts put together by the "FINA Aquatics World Magazine".

The official FINA Magazine launched this election process in February 2010: the 202 FINA National Member Federations and the most appreciated aquatic experts voted for the best athletes in swimming, diving, synchronised swimming, open water and water polo between 2000 and 2009.

Fourteen-time Olympic champion Phelps won quite convincingly in the men's division (collecting 75 percent of the votes) followed by Australia's two-time 1500m freestyle champion Grant Hackett and Pieter van den Hoogenband (NED).

Among women, de Bruijn (NED) - owner of seven individual Olympic medals - just edged out four-time Olympic champion Yana Klochkova (UKR), with the USA's Natalie Coughlin third.

FINA Aquatics World Magazine - The Best of the Decade (2000-2009)

(First three in each discipline):
Swimming
Men
1. Michael Phelps (USA), 2. Grant Hackett (AUS), 3. Pieter van den Hoogenband (NED)
Women
1. Inge de Bruijn (NED), 2. Yana Klochkova (UKR), 3. Natalie Coughlin (USA)

Diving
Men
1. Dmitry Sautin (RUS), 2. Tian Liang (CHN), 3. He Chong (CHN)
Women
1. Jingjing Guo (CHN), 2. Wu Minxia (CHN), 3. Yulia Pakhalina (RUS)

Synchronised swimming
1. Anastasia Davydova (RUS), 2. Virginie Dedieu (FRA), 3. Olga Brusnikina (RUS)

Open water swimming
Men
1. Thomas Lurz (GER), 2. Petar Stoychev (BUL), 3. Maarten van der Weijden (NED)
Women
1. Larisa Ilchenko (RUS), 2. Edith van Dijk (NED), 3. Britta Kamrau (GER)

Water polo
Men
1. Tamas Kasas (HUN), 2. Peter Biros (HUN), 3. Aleksandar Sapic (SRB)
Women
Brenda Villa (USA), 2. Giusy Malato (ITA), 3. Danielle de Bruijn (NED)

* Hanson Media Group managing director IAN HANSON was a member of the expert FINA panel that judged the top aquatic stars of the decade. Hanson is regarded as one of Australia's foremost swimming experts, after 40 years covering national and international swimming events. He is a regular contributor to FINA news.