Aquatics Stars Honoured at Fina World Aquatics Gala

December 18, 2021:  Aquatics stars from around the world were honoured last night in a spectacular FINA World Aquatics Gala held at the Hilton Abu Dhabi Yas Island Hotel.

Abu Dhabi, 18th December 2021: Leading names in aquatics who excelled during sporting events in 2021 were recognised for their incredible achievements, hard work and dedication to the sport. The best female and male athletes in artistic swimming, high diving, open water swimming, swimming, and water polo, were all honoured during a memorable evening ceremony.

“Tonight, is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the incredible records and achievements of aquatics athletes from all over the world. Athletes are the beating heart of our community. Without you, there is no sports history. Without you, we cannot introduce innovative new competitions as we have done here in Abu Dhabi during the FINA Aquatics Festival with the debut of the Open Water Mixed Relay. Thank you all for the sacrifice you have given during this challenging year,” said FINA President Captain Husain Al-Musallam.

The athlete award winners for 2021 are:
· Best Male Water Polo Player in 2021: Filip Filipovic
· Best Female Water Polo Player in 2021: Maggie Steffens
· Best Male Artistic Swimmer in 2021: Aleksandr Maltsev
· Best Female Artistic Swimmer in 2021: Svetlana Kolesnichenko & Svetlana Romashina
· Best Male Diver in 2021: Xie Siyi
· Best Female Diver in 2021: Shi Tingmao
· Best Male High Diver in 2021: Owen Weymouth
· Best Female High Diver in 2021: Ellie Smart
· Best Male Swimmer in 2021: Caeleb Dressel
· Best Female Swimmer in 2021: Emma McKeon
· Best Male Open Water Swimmer in 2021: Florian Wellbrock
· Best Female Open Water Swimmer in 2021: Ana Marcela Cunha

The coaching award winners for 2021 are:
· Coach of the Best Male Swimmer in 2021: Gregg Troy
· Coach of the Best Female Swimmer in 2021: Michael Bohl
· Coach of the Best Male Open Water Swimmer in 2021: Bernd Berkhahn
· Coach of the Best Female Open Water Swimmer in 2021: Fernando Possenti
· Coach of the Best Male Artistic Swimmer in 2021: Gana Maksimova

· Coach of the Best Female Artistic Swimmer in 2021: Tatiana Danchenko
· Coach of the Best Male Water Polo Player in 2021: Dejan Savic
· Coach of the Best Female Water Polo Player in 2021: Adam Krikorian
· Coach of the Best Male Diver in 2021: Nie Yudi
· Coach of the Best Female Diver in 2021: Zhao Wenjin

In addition to the athlete and coaching awards, FINA also dedicated an award to the Best Journalist in 2021, awarded to Akiko Sakurama from Japan.