The most achieved Greco-Roman wrestler of all time Mijain Lopez was honored on Sunday night at the ANOC Awards 2021. The Cuban Giant earned the Outstanding Athlete Performance award for becoming the first-ever male wrestler to win four Olympic titles. ANOC News provided a breakdown of Sunday night’s award winners.
A breathtaking ANOC Awards 2021 ceremony took place at the Creta Maris Beach Resort on October 24, with the world coming together in celebration of some of the leading names in Olympic sport.
The athletes who shone at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 earlier this year were recognised for their inspiring performances. The best female and male athletes, as well as the best female and male teams from team sports were honoured, whilst an outstanding athlete performance was announced. Additionally, female and male award categories were introduced for the best multiple athlete event, which recognises outstanding collective performances by more than one athlete in sports that can also be practiced individually. Finally, there were awards for the outstanding National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Tokyo 2020 and for individual contribution to the Olympic Movement.
The ANOC Awards winners for 2021 are:
- Best Female Multiple Athlete Event of Tokyo 2020: Estonia Fencing Épée Team
- Best Male Multiple Athlete Event of Tokyo 2020: Italy Cycling-Track Team Pursuit
- Best Female Team of Tokyo 2020: New Zealand Rugby Sevens
- Best Male Team of Tokyo 2020: Japan Baseball
- Best Female Athlete of Tokyo 2020: Maggie Mac Neil
- Best Male Athlete of Tokyo 2020: Eliud Kipchoge
- Outstanding Athlete Performance: Mijaín López
- Outstanding NOC of Tokyo 2020: Japanese Olympic Committee
- Contribution to the Olympic Movement: John Coates
The ANOC Awards was created to show appreciation to NOCs and their athletes for their dedication to the Olympic Movement and for promoting the Olympic values all year round. During the ceremony, Diplomas were presented to the breakthrough NOCs that had historic sporting moments at Tokyo 2020.
The ANOC Diploma for Breakthrough NOCs recipients are:
- Bermuda Olympic Association – Triathlete Flora Duffy became Olympic champion, in doing so making Bermuda the smallest country by population to win a gold medal.
- Philippine Olympic Committee – Weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz made history by winning the women’s 55 kg category to become the first Olympic gold medallist from the Philippines.
- Qatar Olympic Committee – Fares Elbakh won his country’s first ever Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020 and shortly after, high jump star Mutaz Essa Barshim claimed Qatar’s second gold in what was one of the most memorable moments of Tokyo 2020, as he shared the gold medal with Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi.
- Burkina Faso National Olympic Committee – Hugues Fabrice Zango became the country’s first Olympic bronze medallist as he claimed third spot in the men’s triple jump.
- San Marino National Olympic Committee – It was a Games to remember for San Marino. At the start of play, they had never reached an Olympic podium, but by the end of the Games they had won one silver and one bronze.
- National Olympic Committee of Turkmenistan – Tokyo 2020 saw Turkmenistan win its first Olympic medal, when Polina Guryeva won silver in the women’s weightlifting 59 kg category.
Source: www.anocolympic.org
