Voting for The World Games Greatest Athlete of All Time has in one week gathered more than 600,000 votes for the 24 athlete legends from 24 The World Games sports. Malaysian Squash superstar Nicol David, three-time The World Games champion, is leading the vote with more than 180,000 votes. Behind her, there are some tight fights: while Sumo fighter Batyr Altyev (RUS) right now seems comfortable in his second place (70,480 votes), Racquetball legend Paola Longoria (MEX, 36,664), The World Games Athlete of the Year 2016 Sofia Olofsson (Muaythai, SWE, 31,642) and Speed Skater Fabriana Arias (COL 29,600) are fighting at least for third place, if not even higher.
In this race dominated by legendary female athletes, Life Saver Marcel Hassemeier (GER, 24,195) and Tug of War legend James Kehoe, who participated in 9 editions of The World Games (IRL, 23,770), are chasing the podium places.
Another exciting race is around the 10th place: on 20th January, only the ten candidates with most votes continue in the race. Currently, Brazil Women’s Beach Handball team is – as the best team! – in 10th place, just 500 votes ahead of Sport Climbing Speed World Record holder Iuliina Kaplina (RUS).
But nothing is over yet for any of the 24 athlete legends, as long as their fans keep on voting. All sports fans can vote online for their favourite once per 24 hours. More information about the candidates can be found here: The World Games Greatest Athlete of All Time
The three best candidates will receive a diploma, a trophy and a branded gift from the official sponsor Protective Life. The winner will be announced on 1st February 2021.
Standings as on 15/1/2021
Nicol David, Squash - 186950
Batyr Altyev, Sumo - 80497
Paola Longoria, Racquetball -36664
Sofia Olofsson, Muaythai - 31642
Fabriana Arias, Roller Sports - 29600
Marcel Hassemeier, Lifesaving - 24915
James Kehoe, Tug of War - 23770
Evgeniya Kanaeva, Gymnastics - 20184
Larysa Soloviova, Powerlifting - 17555
BRA Women, Beach Handball - 14827
Iuliina Kaplina, Sport Climbing - 14328
Goffredo & Matus, DanceSport - 13933
Denes Kanyo, Finswimming - 13295
Morgan Lundin, Archery - 11492
Henri Lacroix, Boules - 11243
GER Women, Canoe - 11211
Martin Weiss, Fistball - 11095
Rob Haans, Ju-jitsu - 11015
Leon Simons, Korfball - 11010
Patrice Martin, Waterski - 10993
Beau Kittredge, Flying Disc - 10989
Alyssa Murray, Lacrosse - 10981
Matthias Kyburz, Orienteering - 10972
Matthias Hofbauer, Floorball - 10969
ABOUT PROTECTIVE
Protective Life Corporation provides financial services through the production, distribution and administration of insurance and investment products throughout the U.S. The company traces its roots to the corporation’s flagship company, Protective Life Insurance Company – founded in 1907. Throughout its more than 110-year history, Protective’s growth and success can be largely attributed to its ongoing commitment to serving people and doing the right thing – for its employees, distributors, and most importantly, its customers. The company’s home office is located in Birmingham, Alabama, and its 3,000 employees are located in offices across the United States. As of December 31 2018, the Company had assets of approximately $90 billion. Protective Life Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dai-ichi Life Holdings, Inc. (TSE:8750). For more information about Protective, please visit www.Protective.com.
The World Games is a multi-sport event staged every four years by the International World Games Association under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee. The 11th edition of The World Games will be held in Birmingham, Alabama, USA, 7-17 July 2022. 3,600 athletes from over 30 sports and 100 countries will take part in The World Games.
