PACQUIAO USSA ATHLETE OF YEAR NOMINEE
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 26 Nov 2009
There?s no end in sight as to the awards and recognitions Filipino boxing icon stands to get.
On the strength of his twin victories over Englishman Ricky Hatton and Puerto Rican Miguel Sotto that gifted him the International Boxing Organization junior-welterweight championship and World Boxing Organization welterweight welterweight title,Pacquiao has been nominated Athlete of the Year of the United States Sports Academy.
Besides being a cinch for ?Fighter of Year? honor, Pacquiao was also featured in the cover of TIME Magazine (Asian Edition) and appeared as guest in the Jimmy Kimmel television show just days before the Cotto fight November 14 in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao?s name was among the 12 male and 12 female athletes nominated for the annual awards presented by the Academy, NBC Sports .com and USA Today.com.that also included, among others, Kobe Bryant in basketball, |Tiger Woods in golf, Roger Federer in tennis,, Serena Williams in tennis and Courtney Kupets in gymnastics.
Other nominees in the male category are (In alphabetical order) Craig Alexander, triathlon, Australia; Usain Bolt, track and field, Jamaica; Drew Brees, football, United States; Angel Cabrera, golf, Argentin; Santonio Holmes, football, United States; LeBron James, basketball, United States; Jimmie Johnson, auto racing, United States; and Albert Pujols, baseball, Dominican Republic.
Also nominated in the women?s category: Yelena Isinbaeva, track and field, Russia; Carmelita Jeter, track and field, United States; Courtney Kupets; Linet Masai, track and field, Kenya; Lorena Ochoa, golf, Mexico; Courtney Paris, basketball, United States; Sanya Richards, track and field, United States; Jiyai Shin, golf, South Korea; Diana Taurasi, basketball, United States; Lindsey Vonn, skiing, United States; and Chrissie Wellington, triathlon, United Kingdom.
The United States Sports Academy is an independent, non-profit, accredited, special mission sports university created to serve the nation and the world with programs in instruction, research and service. The role of the Academy is to prepare men and women for careers in the profession of sports. Interested parties may call 251-626-3303 or visit www.ussa.edu.
The Athlete of the Year ballot is the culmination of the Academy?s yearlong Athlete of the Month program, which recognizes the accomplishments of men and women in sports around the globe.
The Academy Athlete of the Month is selected by an international voting committee comprised of members of the media, sports organizations and governing bodies.
There are 12 male and 12 female candidates for Athlete of the Year. The Male and Female Athlete of the Year awards will go to the athletes that receive the most votes. Balloting is open until 24 December. Last year?s winners were 2008 Olympic stars Michael Phelps and Nastia Liukin.
Voters are asked to select their top three candidates for the award in descending order. First choice is worth five points, second place is three points and third place is one point.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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