2015 Best Sportsmen and Sportswomen Award Finalists

Men"s Category:

WINNER with 72 points: Vladimir MAYOROV (Russian Federation) - Cross Country Skiing
Born 19.07.1988, Vladimir Mayorov is a 4-time Deaflympics Champion in cross-country skiing (skiathlon 10x10 km., 3x10 km relay, team sprint, and mass start)

FINALIST with 69 points: Giacomo PIERBON (Italy) - Alpine Skiing
Born 02.07.1987, Giacomo Pierbon earned medals during the 18th Winter Deaflympics at Khanty-Mansiysk, 2015 in the following events:
- Downhill (Silver)
- Giant Slalom (Silver)
- Slalom (Gold)
- Super Combined (Gold)
- Super-G (Gold)

FINALIST with 50 points: Noboru HARADA (Japan) - Alpine Skiing
Born 08.03.1976, Noboru Harada medaled in the following events:
At the 18th Winter Deaflympics, 2015:
- Alpine Snowboard Parallel Giant Slalom (Gold)
- Alpine Snowboard Parallel Slalom (Gold)
At the JSBA-Japan Championship Kanto Block, 2014:
- Alpine Snowboard Giant slalom, (Bronze)
- Alpine Snowboard parallel slalom (Gold)
FIS-Japan Snowboard Championship, 2014:
- Alpine Snowboard Parallel Giant Slalom (10th)

FINALIST with 48 points: Tomas KUZMINSKIS (Lithuania) - Orienteering
Born 24.05.1978, Tomas Kuzminskis medaled in the following events:
2015 World Deaf Orienteering Championships in Rochester, NY, USA:
- Middle distance (Gold)
- Relay men (Gold)
- Sprint relay (Bronze)
Lithuanian Orienteering Deaf Championship
- Sprint (Gold)
- Middle distance (Gold)
- Long distance (Gold)
Baltic Orienteering Championship (for hearing) in Latvia:
- 10 MILA Relay Race (22nd place out of 280 teams)
- JUKOLA Relay Race) (107 place out of 1749 teams)

FINALIST with 47 points: Anton ELOFSSON (Sweden) - Bowling
Born 18.08.1992, Anton Elofsson medaled three (3) Gold, a Silver and a Bronze at the World Championships in Bologna, Italy in August 2015.
Anton has achieved many great successes at the elite level. For instance, at the World Cup in Italy, he took Gold in the Masters, All-Event and the double. He also earned Silver in the 3-men and a Bronze in the 5-men teams.

FINALIST with 31 points: Guilherme Maia KABBACH (Brazil) - Swimming
Born 11.06.1988, Guilherme Kabbach participated and earned three (3) medals in two Summer Deaflympics (Taipei and Bulgaria). He also earned a total of six (6) medals competing in two Deaf World Swimming Championships (Portugal and the United States). He also set South American, Pan American and Brazilian world records (two of each)

FINALIST with 24 points: Bulut SAMET (Turkey) - Judo
Judo: Born 01.09.1993, Bulet Samet earned four gold medals in 2015:
2015 Turkish Deaf Championships – two (2) Gold
2015 European Deaf Martial Arts in Yerevan (100kg, Open Men) – two (2) Gold

FINALIST with 18 points (tie): Esah HAYAT (Great Britain) - Tennis
Born13.03.2002. In 2015, Esah Hayat earned a Gold medal in the Youth Boys Singles when he made his senior international debut at the 1st World Deaf Tennis Championships in Nottingham.
Other wins/honors Esah earned:
- Named Most Promising Player in the British Deaf Tennis Awards after winning the Boys" Singles and Doubles and Senior Men"s consolation in the 2015 National Deaf Tennis Championships
- Named SportsAid Athlete of the Month for August 2015
- Named on the shortlist of 10 young athletes for SportsAid"s annual One-to-Watch Award

FINALIST with 18 points (tie): Vincent NOVELLI (France) - Tennis
Born 31.07.1986, Vincent Novelli earned medals in the 2015 World Deaf Tennis Championships:
- Men Singles (Silver)
- Men Double (Gold)

FINALIST with 12 points: Mehrad SEIDI (Iran) - Judo
Born 22.07.1992, Mehrad Seidi earned a Gold at the 8th APDG in 2015.

FINALIST with 10 points: Sargis SARGSYAN (Armenia) - Wrestling Freestyle
Born 29.09.1992, Sargis Sargsyan earned 1st place in 59kg Freestyle Wrestling at the 6th European Deaf Wrestling Championships, 2015 in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Women"s Category:

WINNER with 100 points: Tereza KMOCHOVA (Czech Republic) - Alpine Skiing)
Born 26.09.1990, Tereza Kmochova earned five (5) Gold Medals in all disciplines of Alpine Skiing. at the 18th Winter Deaflympics. Her other competition wins include:
27th Winter Universiade Granada:
- 4th in Combination (4 disc.), 9th in Alpine Combination, 12th in Giant Slalom
FIS Races:
- Three (3) 2nd places (slalom, GS, SuperG – Italy)
FSI UNI – Academic Championship of the Czech Republic:
- 3rd place in Slalom
FIS Races:
- Five (5) 4th places in (CZE, CRO, GER)

FINALIST with 51 points: Ryoko HANASHIMA (Japan) - Snowboard
Born 09.07.1979, Ryoko Hanashima earned top places in the following competitions:
- 2012: 1st Japan Deaf Snowboard Championship, Snowboard Half Pipe (2nd place)
- 2013: 1st World Deaf Snowboard Championship, Snowboard Half Pipe (1st place)
- 2015: 18th Winter Deaflympics, Snowboard Half Pipe (Gold)

FINALIST with 50 points: Danielle JOYCE (Great Britain) - Swimming
Born 14.06.1996, Danielle Joyce earned top places in swimming:
- 100m Backstroke: World Champion and a new World Record holder
- 50m Backstroke: Silver (set new World Record in Heats),
- 200m Backstroke: Bronze
- Broke the 50m Backstroke World record three (3) times in 2015 31.11 (joint), 30.87, 30.82, 30.75
- Awaiting ratification of World records in short course 50m Freestyle, 50m Backstroke, 100m Backstroke, 100m I.M.
- Set European Records in all the above and in 100m Free
- National Finalist (mainstream) 50 Freestyle & 50 Backstroke
- 50m Freestyle 6th Place in British Universities
- Currently hold 8 Deaf World records
In addition to earning top places, Danielle also received numerous awards and recognition for her achievements.

FINALIST with 44 points: Anna FEDULOVA (Russian Federation) - Cross Country Skiing
Born 19.07.1978. Anna Fedulova is a three (3)-time Deaflympics Champion in cross-country skiing (skiathlon 5x5 km., sprint, mass start).

FINALIST with 36 points: Stefany KREBS (Brazil) - Football
Born 19.05.1998, Stefany Krebs won Gold in the South American Championship of the Deaf - Women, held in 2013 in Santiago, Chile. She also won another Gold in the South American Games, held in Caxias do Sul, Brazil in 2014. She achieved with the Brazilian Deaf National Team 2nd place and she was selected as Best Player in the World Deaf Futsal Cup in Bangkok, Thailand in November 2015.

FINALIST with 35 points: Maryam ABDIFARDDAVIL (Iran) - Athletics
Born 29.04.1997, Maryam Abdifarddavil earned Gold in the 400m
At the 8th APDG in 2015.

FINALIST with 34 points: Beatriz VILLAMANDOS-LORENZO (Spain) - Tennis
Born 27.11.1984, Beatriz Villamandos-Lorenzo competed in the Deaf World Tennis Championships and earned a Gold in Women Singles and a Bronze in Women Doubles.

FINALIST with 26 points: Trude RAAD (Norway) - Athletics
Born 27.04.1990, Trude Raad, earned Silver in the National Champion (hearing competition) in her country. She also set a Deaf World record in Hammer Throw of 65,03m.