Olympic champion for the fifth consecutive time in the super heavyweight division at Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the “Giant of Herradura” has been voted by eight media outlets, after adding the votes from Cubavisión Internacional TV channel and the Ciego de Avila-based Radio Surco.
Dominican sprinter Marileidy Paulino, Olympic champion in the 400 meters and Diamond League champion in the same specialty, is at the top of the women’s category, with four votes, ahead of Dominican (Island) Thea LaFond (2), world champion on indoor track in Glasgow 2024 in the triple jump modality.
AS for Best Team of the Year, the Cuban Baseball5 team, winner of the world title in Hong Kong, and the Argentine men’s soccer team, champion of the Copa América, remain in contention, on a four-vote tie.
The call for entries opened this Sunday, with admission of ballots remaining open until December 23. A day later results will be announced at a press round. Radio, television, periodicals, news agencies and digital portals can submit their candidates to deportes@prensa-latina.cu, where the votes will be compiled.
All media, including Prensa Latina Sports Survey, will vote on equal terms and can choose any athlete from Latin America and the Caribbean.
It is worth remembering that this voting was launched in 1964, with the Cuban sprinter Enrique Figuerola as the first winner. After 1980 it was decided to include the category of Best Team of the Year, and since 1988 men and women began to be chosen separately.
The most successful winner among men as is legendary Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt (6), followed by the “Prince of Heights”, Cuba´s high jumper Javier Sotomayor (5). Among women, titles have gone to legendary Colombian high jumper Caterine Ibargüen and Venezuelan triple jumper Yulimar Rojas, each with five votes.
In the previous edition, winners were Rojas, the Cuban wrestler Luis Orta and the Brazilian soccer team Fluminense, a category in which the most awarded team historically has been Argentina’s soccer team, which has won six awards.
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