AIPS National Associations name 2013 Best Athletes of the Year

LeBron James of the Miami Heat reacts on the court against the Indiana Pacers at American Airlines Arena on December 18, 2013 in Miami, Florida. James LeBron has been voted by the USA Sports Journalist Association as one of the three best USA male athletes of the year. Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images

By Maria Pia Beltran - AIPS Young Reporter, Italy

MILAN, January 2, 2014 - The best athletes of 2013 from each country have been recognized by their national associations affiliated to AIPS: among them are great champions who were also among the candidates of the 2013 AIPS Poll, but also less well-known athletes coming from even the smallest countries of the world. We have collected 34 rankings with the top three male and female athletes of each country, as selected by the sports journalists of their respective nations. Here the first results: ANGOLA Sportsmen Carlos Morais                                Basketball Walter Ruben Faustino                   Jiu Jitsu Omar de Sousa                             Jiu Jitsu Sportswomen Nacissela Mauritius                         Basketball Marcelina Kiala                               Handball Maria de Fatima                             Judo ARMENIA Sportsmen Safaryan Davit                               Wrestling Aleksanyan Artur                            Wrestling Julfalakyan Arsen                           Wrestling Sportswomen Mkrtchyan Lilit                               Chess Sharoyan Amalya                           Athletics Balasanyan Sose                            Sambo AUSTRIA Sportsmen David Alba                                     Football Marcel Hirscher                              Alpine Ski Gregor Schlierenzauer                    Ski Jumping            Sportswomen Anna Fenninger                             Alpine Ski Michaela Kirchgasser                      Alpine Ski Anna Stoehr                                  Climbing AZERBAIJAN Sportsmen Mahammadrasul Mejidov                Boxing Elkhan Mammadov                        Judo Valentin Demyanenko                    Rowing Sportswomen Christina Job                                  Weightlifting Julia Ratkevich                               Wrestling Farida Azizovа                               Taekwondo BELARUS Sportsmen Shiarhei Rutenka                            Handball Mikhail Grabovski                           Hockey Vasil Kiryienka                               Cycling Sportswomen Victoria Azarenka                           Tennis Darya Domracheva                        Biathlon Melitina Staniuta                           Gymnastics BELGIUM Sportsmen Frederik Van Lierde                        Triathlon Sven Nys                                      Cyclo-Cross Bart Swings                                  Speed Skating Sportswomen Kirsten Filpkens                             Tennis Valerie Courtois                             Volleyball Catherine Jacques                          Jiu-jitsu BURUNDI Sportsmen    Saidi Ntibazonkiza                          Football Valery Nahayo                               Football Elvis Hakizimana                            Basketball Sportswomen    Diane Johson Nukuru                      Athletics Francine Niyonsaba                        Athletics Florence Kalume                            Basketball CANADA Sportsmen    Patrick Chan                                 Figure Skating Jon Cornish                                  Football Milos Raonic                                 Tennis Sportswomen    Kaillie Humphries                         Bobsleigh Christine Sinclaire                        Football Eugenie Bouchard                        Tennis CONGO Sportsmen    Bismarck Biyombo                        Basketball Mputu Mabi Trésor                        Football Munanga Maxi                              Basketball Sportswomen    Betu July                                     Handball Mwasesa Christianne                    Handball Mambenga Natacha                      Basketball CROATIA Sportsmen    Mario Mandzukic                          Football Domagoj Duvnjak                        Handball Ivica Kostelic                               Alpine Ski Sportswomen    Sandra Perkovic                           Athletics Tina Mihelic                                  Sailing Ivana Buden                                Archery CUBA Sportsmen    Ashley Gonzales                           Judo Julio Caesar La Cruz                     Boxing Freddy Asiel Alvarez                     Baseball Sportswomen    Idalis Ortiz                                  Judo Glenhis Hernandez                       Taekwondo Yarisley Silva                               Athletics CZECH REPUBLIC Sportsmen    Vitezslav Vesely                           Athletics Tomas Berdych                            Tennis Ondrej Synek                               Rowing Sportswomen    Zuzana Hejnova                          Athletics Gabriela Soukalova                      Biathlon Martina Sablikova                        Speed Skating GERMANY Sportsmen    Robert Harting                            Athletics Sebastian Vettel                          F1 Raphael Holzdeppe                      Athletics Sportswomen    Christina Obergföll                      Athletics Sabine Lisicki                              Tennis Maria Höfl-Riesch                        Nordic Ski GREECE Sportsmen    Spyros Gianniotis                        Swimming Vasilis Spanoulis                         Basketball Penayiotis Gkionis                       Table Tennis Sportswomen Katerina Nikolaidou                     Rowing Vasiliki Vougiouka                       Fencing Maria Prevolaraki                        Wrestling GREAT BRITAIN Sportsmen    Andy Murray                               Tennis Mo Farah                                    Athletics Chris Froome                              Cycling Sportswomen    Christine Ohuruogu                     Athletics Rebecca James                           Cycling Non Stanford                              Triathlon ICELAND Sportsmen    Gylfi Thor Sigurdsson                  Football Gudjon Valur Sigurdsson              Handball Jon Arnor Stefansson                   Basketball Sportswomen    Anita Hinriksdottir                         Athletics Sara Bjork Gunnarsdottir               Football Hrafnhildur Luthersdottir               Swimming ITALY Sportsmen    Vincenzo Nibali                          Cycling Clemente Russo                         Boxing Marcello Lippi                             Football Sportswomen    Flavia Pennetta                          Tennis Federica Pellegrini                      Swimming Antonella Del Core                     Volleyball KAZAKHSTAN Sportsmen    Gennady Golovkin                     Boxing Denis Kuzin                              Speed Skating Janibek Alimhanuly                    Boxing Sportswomen    Zhansaya Abdumalik                 Chess Ekatherina Larionova                 Wrestling Gauhar Ermekbay                     Boxing KYRGYZ REPUBLIC Sportsmen    Yuri Krakovetsky                      Judo Nurbek Akanov                        Wrestling Sportswomen    Aisuluu Tynybekova                 Wrestling     LEBANON Sportsmen    Maxime Chaya                         Rowing Abdo Feghaly                           Rally Mohammed Haidar                   Football Sportswomen    Mona Chayato                          Fencing Alissa Sadek                            Gymnastic Rebecca Akl                             Basketball LITHUANIA Sportsmen    Justinas Kinderis                      Pentathlon Jevgenijus Suklinas                  Canoe Mantas Kalnietis                       Basketball Sportswomen    Ruta Meilutyte                          Swimming Laura Asadauskaite                   Pentathlon Vilma Rimsaite                          BMX MAURITANIA Sportsmen    Moulay Ahmed                          Football Soulyman Jelou                         Football Hamoud Dych                           Petanque Sportswomen    Fatimetou Salem                       Chess Hawa Toure                              Basketball Zeynebou Njay                          Basketball MONTENEGRO Sportsmen    Nikola Janovia                           Waterpolo Milos Scepanovic                       Waterpolo Aleksandar Ivovic                      Waterpolo Sportswomen    Katarina Buatovia                      Handball Jelena Dubljevic                        Basketball Sladjana Perunovia                    Athletics NORWAY Sportsmen    Magnus Carlsen                       Chess Aksel Lund Svindal                   Alpine Ski Emil Hegle Svendsen                Biathlon Sportswomen    Suzann Pettersen                     Golf Tora Berger                             Biathlon Marit Bjorgen                           Cross Country Ski PUERTO RICO Sportsmen    Yadier Molina                            Baseball John Velazquez                         Horse racing Javier Culson                            Athletics Sportswomen    Adriana Diaz                             Table Tennis Monica Puig                              Tennis Aury Cruz                                 Volleyball ROMANIA Sportsmen    Tiberiu Dolniceanu                     Fencing Eduard Novak                           Paralympic Cycling Bogdan Juratoni                        Boxing Sportswomen    Simona Halep                           Tennis Ana Maria Branza                      Fencing Larisa Lordache                        Gymnastics RUSSIA Sportsmen    Dmitriy Mustrrskiy                     Volleyball Dtnis Uskov                              Speed Skating Khadzhimurat Gatzalov              Wrestling  Sportswomen    Yelena Isinbaeva                        Athletics Julia Efimova                             Swimming Svetlana Romashina                   Synchronized Swimming SERBIA Sportsmen    Emir Bekric                               Athletics Novak Djokovic                         Tennis Nemanja Matic                          Football Sportswomen    Ivana Spanovic                         Athletics Katarina Tomasevic                   Handball Jovana Brakovic                        Volleyball SIERRA LEONE Sportsmen    Kei Kamara                               Football Jimmy Toronka                          Athletics Ibrahim Abu Bakarr Kamara       Volleyball Sportswomen    Mammy Konneh Lahun              Athletics Zainab Kamara                         Volleyball Rebecca Ansumana                   Athletics SPAIN Sportsmen    Rafael Nadal                             Tennis Marc Marquez                           Moto GP Joaquin Rodriguez                     Cycling Sportswomen    Mireia Belmonte                        Swimming Ruth Beitia                               Athletics     SLOVENIA Sportsmen    Peter Prevc                               Ski Jumping Goran Dragic                            Basketball Matej Mohoric                           Cycling Sportswomen    Tina Maze                                Alpine Ski UKRAINE Sportsmen    Bogdan Bondarenko                 Athletics Oleg Stepko                            Gymnastics Ibrahim Aldatov                       Wrestling  Sportswomen    Olga Kharlan                            Fencing Olena Pidgrushna                     Biathlon Anita Seregina                         Karate USA Sportsmen    Lebron James                           Basketball Peyton Manning                        Football Sidney Crosby                          Hockey Sportswomen    Serena Williams                       Tennis Missy Franklin                          Swimming Maya Moore                             Basketball ZIMBABWE Sportsmen    Samson Muripo                         Karate Charles Manyuchi                      Boxing Takanyi Garanganga                  Tennis Sportswomen    Cara Black                                Tennis Micheen Thornycroft                  Rowing Rachel Goromonzi                     Hockey