Leading names in aquatics who excelled during sporting events in 2021 were recognised for their incredible achievements, hard work and dedication to the sport during the FINA World Aquatics Gala. The event was hosted by Abu Dhabi Sports Council, at the Hilton Abu Dhabi hotel on Yas Island on Friday 17 December. 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 athletes’ recognized were:
- 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 coaches recognized were:
- 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 and the Dennis Miller award to Stephen Sid Cassidy (USA).
The FINA World Aquatics Gala was hosted in parallel with the FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) which is taking place at Yas Island’s state-of-the-art Etihad Arena from 16 – 21 December 2021. For more information and to purchase tickets for the Championships visit https://fina-abudhabi2021.org.