2009 WIDEX Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year

Frederick MD, USA - ICSD is pleased to announce that Terence PARKIN of South Africa and Aksana PETRUSHENKA of Belarus have been selected as the 2009 WIDEX Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year by the members of International Committee of Sports for the Deaf Selections Commission through electronic ballot. They earned 68 and 65 points respectively.

Terence PARKIN, born 12 April 1980, won 7 gold medals at the recent Summer Deaflympics in Taipei in the swimming events and a bronze medal in the cycling event. Being able to achieve this feat by competing in two different sports at the Deaflympic level and to medal in both categories deserves this honor to be named the best athlete of the year! Furthermore, Terence has broken 12 World records in the year of 2009 and there are a few more applications for world record recognition from his recent swimming competition in Singapore at the FINA Swimming World Cup. His Taipei accomplishments includes:

  • 50m Breaststroke – Gold Medal 29.58
  • 200m Breaststroke Gold Medal and Deaf Games record 2:16.32
  • 400m Individual Medley Gold Medal and Deaf Games record 4:29.56
  • 200m Freestyle Gold Medal and World record 1:53.12
  • 100m Breaststroke Gold Medal and Deaf Games record 1:03.51
  • 200m Individual Medley Gold Medal and Deaf Games record 2:06.24
  • 1500m Freestyle Gold Medal and World record 16:08.56
  • In the cycling event 93.12km road race 2:17.41 bronze medal

Aksana PETRUSHENKA, born 25 September 1984, whose accomplishments included four Gold, one silver, and one bronze medal, in swimming at the recent Summer Deaflympics in Taipei. Her results had also brought her five Games and World records and those three world records have finally been broken after being kept in the record books for over twenty years by one of our most accomplished and well known swimmer, Cindy-Lu FITZPATRICK from Australia. Aksana's accomplishments include:

  • 50m Breaststroke World record 33.27
  • 100m Breaststroke Gold Medal and World record 1:13.49 (this record has been in the record books since 1989)
  • 200m Breaststroke Gold Medal and World record 2:39.61 (this record has been in the record books since 1985)
  • 200m Individual Medley Gold Medal and World record 2:23.86 (this record has been in the record books since 1985)
  • 4x100m Medley Relay Gold Medal and World record 4:26.89
  • 50m Freestyle Silver Medal 27.14
  • 4x100m Freestyle Bronze Medal 4:03.26

Congratulations, Terence and Aksana!

Other top finishers:

Men Category:
Luca GERMANO (ITA) - Swimming
Artemy KARPOV (RUS) - Badminton
Llya TRISHKIN (RUS) - Swimming
Ingo SCHWEINSBERG (GER) - Shooting
Chih-Chuan WEN (TPE) – Table Tennis
Maris GRENINS (LAT) - Athletics
Mikael LAURENT (FRA) - Tennis
Kosui YAMADA (JPN) - Judo
Makar BUKIN (UKR) - Football

Women Category:
Melinda VERNON (AUS) - Athletics
Suslaidy GIRAT RIVERO (CUB) - Athletics
Barbara ODDONE (ITA) - Tennis
Trude RAAD (NOR) - Athletics
Anna POLIVANSHUK (SWE) - Swimming
Yao-Chien CHANG (TPE) - Bowling
Gergana BARAMOVA (BUL) - Badminton
Olga YAKUBOVSKAYA (RUS) - Athletics
Reegan ANDERS (USA) - Football

More information on the other top finishers, along with photos will appear in the upcoming issue of E-NEWS!

By Secretariat