Riga, January 5, LETA. Agnis Čavars, Edgars Krūmiņš, Kārlis Pauls Lasmanis and Nauris Miezis have been recognized as the best Latvian athletes in 2021 in the traditional survey of experts of the magazine “Sporta Avīze”.
The best Latvian athlete was named in the version of “Sporta Avīze” for the 26th time, determining the winner by 50 experts.
Among the 50 experts who were able to vote unanimously in the poll for men, ladies, individual teams, sports teams and national teams, there were traditionally senior government officials, sports policy makers, federation leaders, former sports stars, sports journalists, coaches, the most reliable readers of the magazine and, for the first time, the staff of the supporter Optibet.
Experts in the survey were almost unanimous, giving the Olympic champions first place in 47 of the 50 questionnaires.
3×3 basketball players scored 342 points in the survey, well ahead of weightlifter Artūrs Plēsnieks (204 points) and beach volleyball player Tīna Graudiņa / Anastasija Kravčenoka (113 points).
So far, only one athlete has won the maximum 350 points that can be obtained for the first 50 places in the history of the survey – after winning the Olympic gold in 2012, all experts named Māris Štrombergs the best. At other times, the Olympic champions have won with a more modest number of votes – in the successful 2000, Igor Vihrov had only 36 first places, but in 2008 Stromberg had 46.3.
On one occasion last year, the experts named Graudiņš / Kravčenoka, basketball player Kristaps Porziņģis and the tragically killed hockey goalkeeper Matīss Kivleniekka as the best.
The runner-up, who won second place in the survey, was never mentioned as the best athlete of the year, but received 33 second places.
This time behind Porziņģis (73 points), beach volleyball players Mārtiņš Pļaviņš / Edgars Točs (60 points) and sleigh riders Andris Šics / Juris Šics (60 points).
For the second year in a row, Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš took part in the poll, and the mayor of Riga Mārtiņš Staķis and many other officials also voted. Former President Vaira Vike-Freiberga has traditionally explained her assessment extensively, stating that Pļaviņš and Točs, as well as skier Patrīcija Eiduka, were left behind in her questionnaire. However, the most accurate expert was the President of the Latvian Football Federation Vadim Lashenko, whose first, second, fourth, fifth and sixth place in the vote was identical to the final results. Also among the most accurate voters are the motocross legend Kristers Serģis, as well as the state president and the head of the Latvian Basketball Union Raimonds Vējonis.
The full results of the poll and the choice of voters are available in the January issue of “Sporta Avīze”.
Mairis Briedis was named the best athlete of 2020 in the “Sports Newspapers” version.
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