We are excited to present the 2nd edition of the #VoicedAwards where we celebrate all the incredible performances and moments of 2022. From the 8 world records set, to upsets, to amazing shows of sportsmanship – this year had it all.
AGENCY WITH MOST WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MEDALS
Global Sports Communication and JRS Sports Management take the honours this year.
JRS Sports Management athletes achieved 6 medals at the World Indoor Championships Belgrade22.
Medallists included: Mondo Duplantis – Pole vault World Champion, Ivana Spanovic – Long jump World Champion, Thobias Montler – Long jump silver medal, Jakob Ingebrigtsen – 1500m silver medal, Carl Bengtstrom – 400m bronze medal.
At the outdoor World Championships in Oregon athletes represented by Global Sports Communication won a total of 11 medals, consisting of 4 World Champions:
Joshua Cheptegei – 10 000m World Champion, Wang Jianan – Long jump World Champion, Faith Kipyegon 1500m World Champion, Letesenbet Gidey – 10 0000m World Champion, Gong Lijiao – shot put silver medal, Zhu Yaming – Triple Jump bronze medal, Mary Mora – 800m bronze medal, Lonah Chemtai marathon bronze medal, Qieyang Shijie – 20km and 35km walk bronze medals, Jessica Schilder – shot put bronze medal.
Well done to Global Sports Communication and JRS Sports Management.
COACH WITH MOST MAJORS’ MEDALS
This year Lance Brauman take the win as he produced four world champions at the World Indoor Championships Belgrade22 and World Championships Oregon22 :
– Noah Lyles – 200m World Champion
– Shaunae Miller-Uibo – 400m indoor and outdoor World Champion
– Jereem Richards – 400m indoor world champion
Well done to coach Lance Brauman and the team at Pure Athletics, we are looking forward to an exciting 2023 season.
UPSET OF THE YEAR
“That’s my son. I coach him. And he’s the world champion! Jake Wightman has just had the run of his life.” These words echoed throughout Hayward Field as Jake Wightman crossed the finish line to win Great Britain’s first 1500m world title since 1983. Jake beat a field consisting of the 2020 Olympic medallists Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Timothy Cheruiyot and Josh Kerr – as well as Abel Kipsang, the world’s fastest man in 2022. To make this upset even more special, his coach and father Geoff Wightman was the commentator on this race.
SHOW OF MENTAL TOUGHNESS
Andre De Grasse struggled with injuries and illness leading up to #wchoregon22 – in particular after contracting COVID-19 for the second time, which resulted in breathing difficulties. He was eliminated in the semi-finals of the 100m and withdrew from the 200m, putting an end to any hope for an individual medal. However, in a show of real mental toughness, he still competed in the men’s 4x100m relay where he ran an 8.79s anchor leg passing USAS’s Marvin Bracy, to cross the finish line in a national record and world-leading time of 37.48 seconds.
CAUSE OF THE YEAR
In 2022 Matthew Hudson-Smith became the first British athlete to win three major individual medals at three different outdoor championships in the same season – World championships bronze, Commonwealth silver and European gold. This feat was even more remarkable considering that Matthew revealed that he attempted suicide in early 2021. Suffering from injuries, he lost his sponsor during the covid-19 pandemic, and at the same time his long-time mentor Lloyd Cowan passed away. This took its toll on his mental health, but he felt unable to tell anyone. Then at the end of 2021 he decided to reach out to his team, and they helped him to get the support and help needed. This year Matthew has courageously become an outspoken advocate for mental health.
BEST SHOW OF SPORTMANSHIP
“I know that today wasn’t my day, but to be able to help out someone is always a pleasure!”
In a show of remarkable sportsmanship, Andorran runner Nahuel Carabaña gave up his shot to qualify for the 3000m steeplechase at Munich2022 European Championships to help a fellow athlete who fell to the track after hitting a barrier. Axel Vang Christensen was leading the field at the 5:30min mark when he hit the barrier and fell – when Nahuel saw that he was hurt and couldn’t move, he stopped to help him off the track. He eventually resumed his race, finishing last and thus ending his journey at the championships.
MOST IMPROVED ATHLETE
After finishing 4th in the 100m Hurdles at both #Tokyo2020 and #Doha2019, Tobi Amusan was certainly a medal contender going into #wchoregon22. But not only did she win a medal, in the semi-final, Tobi set a new world record of 12.12s, and then went on to run a wind assisted 12.06s in the final, becoming Nigeria’s first ever world champion and world record holder in an athletics event.
BEST EVENT
2022 proved once again that “Of all the races, there is no better stage for heroism than a marathon” (as Dr. George Sheehan, former medical editor for Runner’s World magazine said).
In 2022 the marathon was filled with drama, records and break out performances:
- At the Berlin Marathon Eliud Kipchoge shattered his 2018 world record by 30s when we ran 2:01:09. Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa also won the women’s race in a new course record of 2:15:37, which at the time was the third fastest time ever.
- Two weeks later in Chicago Marathon Ruth Chepngetich ran the second fastest marathon of all time. Her time of 2:14:18 was just 14s off Brigid Kosgei’s 2019 world record, which was also set in Chicago.
- In the last major of the year @New York Marathon, debutant Sharon Lokedi pulled off an upset when she triumphed with a time of 2:23:23, beating a field consisting of current World Champion Gotytom Gebreslase.
ATHLETE WITH BEST SWAG
British long jumper Lorraine Ugen is the founder of Unsigned Sport, a self-funded sportswear brand for athletes without sponsorship contracts. She was inspired to launch Unsigned after being dropped by a sportswear sponsor when she looked set to miss the Tokyo 2020 Olympics through injury. Lorraine designed and helped to sew and print the first batch of athletic and leisure wear herself.
BEST RIVALRY
The women’s 800m saw the emergence of worthy rivals: USA’s Athing Mu and Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson. They have raced each other just three times so far, with Athing taking the wins, but with Kelly finishing a close 2nd (just 0.08s separated the two 20-year-old Olympians in Oregon!). We can’t wait to see where these athletes take the 800m next year.
MOST UNIQUE EVENT
On Sunday 7 August Allyson Felix (the most decorated track athlete with 11 Olympic & 20 World Championships medals) ran her last professional race in her hometown of Los Angeles. The event was presented by her own sportswear company Athleta and aimed to raise awareness about the importance of childcare and equity for female athletes. The event featured a custom five-lane, 100-meter track and the participants and events ranged from a professional athlete race to mother/daughter and celebrity races.
MOMENT OF THE YEAR
One family… two Commonwealth champions… 32 years apart! History was made when Eilish McColgan claimed the first major title of her career in the 10,000m final at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham – an event her mother Liz Mccolgan had won at the 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games. With her mother watching in the stands, Eilish kicked hard in the last lap, outsprinting the more favoured Kenyans, and in the process broke her mother’s Commonwealth Games and National Scottish record, crossing the line in a time of 30:48:60.
#voiced admin