2002 WIDEX Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year

Frederick, MD-(31 December 2002) Lars PETERSSON of Sweden and Olga FEDEROVA of Russia have been selected as the 2002 WIDEX Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year by the CISS Selections Commission through electronic ballot by earning 58 and 68 points respectively.

Lars Petersson (SWE)
Shooting

Born 26.03.1963 in Sweden. At the hearing qualification round for world championships in shooting 08-09.06.2002 in Eskilstuna, Lars Petersson competed in air pistol against 15 other air pistol shooters. It was a thrill watching how a deaf person stood up against hearing persons in qualification rounds for World Championships. Petersson did not make it all the way but he had a good showing with the score of 585+586+582 points in the last series. The King of Sweden had invited Mr. Petersson, among 154 other invited guests, for royal dinner on 26.01.2002 at the royal castle, in recognition of his marksmanship skills.

Olga Fedorova (RUS)
Swimming

Born 18.09.1986 in Kazan (Tatarstan). In June 2002, Fedorova clinched a total of ten (10) gold medals and established two (2) new Deaf European records in 50 m breaststroke and 4x100 medley and one (1) Deaf World Record in 50 m breaststroke at the 8th European Deaf Swimming Championships in Amsterdam. Her events were 200 m freestyle, 50 m breaststroke, 200 m breaststroke, 400 m freestyle, 200 m medley, 100 m breaststroke, 800 m freestyle, 4x100 freestyle, 4x100 medley, and 4x200 freestyle.

Five other top finishers were:

Men

Cedric Touzard (SAF)
57 points

Women

Aleshia Yet Foy (AUS)
64 points

Jamel Bradley (USA)
54 points
Cecilia Ferm (SWE)
50 points

Nicky Lange (GER)
43 points

Ilse van den Berg (NED)
39 points
Scott Prosser (AUS)
42 points
Ganna Lytvynenko (UKR)
38 points
Dmitri Grigoriev (RUS)
30 points
Heather Suhr (USA)
37 points
By Secretariat