For immediate release
Lausanne, 1 November 2017
The World Rowing Federation, FISA, has opened the nomination process for the 2018 Thomas Keller Medal to the general public.
The Thomas Keller Medal is the highest distinction in the sport of rowing. It is awarded to recognise an exceptional international rowing career as well as exemplary sportsmanship and legendary aspect. The public is able to submit nominations until 4 December 2017 (midday CET).
The award was named after the late President of FISA, Thomas Keller (Thomi). Born in 1924, Keller was elected President of FISA in 1958 as a 34-year-old and was then the youngest-ever president of an international sports federation.
Following the 1988 Olympic Games, Thomi Keller spontaneously awarded the FISA Medal of Honour to single scullers Peter-Michael Kolbe (Germany) and Pertti Karppinen (Finland) to commemorate one of the greatest rivalries in the history of the sport, thereby recognising their exceptional talent and sportsmanship. This shaped the idea of the Thomas Keller Medal which was initiated by the Keller family following Thomi's passing in 1989 and was first awarded to the great Norwegian rower Alf Hansen in 1990.
Each year the winner is carefully selected by the Thomas Keller Medal committee which includes Keller's son Dominik. It follows a broad international nomination process including public nominations. The aim is to ensure that the true values in which Keller so strongly believed are represented.
To be awarded the Thomas Keller Medal the following five factors are taken into consideration:
1. Success at the international level
2. "Type" of career
3. Technical mastery of the sport
4. Sportsmanship
5. "Legendary" aspect
For 2017 the Thomas Keller Medal was awarded to Katherine Grainger of Great Britain. Grainger is Great Britain’s most decorated female Olympian with five Olympic medals in four boat classes. These medals showed Grainger’s all-round brilliance in the sport and included gold from the London 2012 Olympic Games. Grainger who, gained a PhD in law while rowing, also earned eight medals from the World Championships.
Previous winners include Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell (New Zealand), Eskild Ebbesen (Denmark), Vaclav Chalupa (Czech Republic), Iztok Cop (Slovenia), James Tomkins (Australia), Kathrin Boron (Germany), Elisabeta Lipa (Romania) and Steve Redgrave (Great Britain).
To nominate and to view the full list of winners, please click here.
The award will be presented on Saturday 14 July 2018 during World Rowing Cup III in Lucerne, Switzerland.
Follow on Twitter Friend on Facebook Follow on Instagram Follow on Youtube
For more information:
Melissa Bray
Content Manager
FISA - Maison du Sport International - Avenue de Rhodanie 54 - 1007 Lausanne, Switzerland
Tel Dir: +41 (0)21 612 02 28
E-mail: melissa.bray@fisa.org
Copyright © 2017 Fisa, All rights reserved.
UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THIS LIST OR UPDATE YOUR SUBSCRIPTION
World Rowing thanks its Partners
World Rowing Strategic Alliance
World Rowing Broadcasting Partners
World Rowing Licensing Partners
World Rowing Service Providers
World Rowing Suppliers
As a service to our readers, Around the Rings will provide verbatim texts of selected press releases issued by Olympic-related organizations, federations, businesses and sponsors.
These press releases appear as sent to Around the Rings and are not edited for spelling, grammar or punctuation.
25 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is www.aroundtherings.com, for subscribers only
Recent Articles
Sinner-Alcaraz, the duel that came to succeed the three phenomenons
Beyond the final result, Roland Garros left the feeling that the Italian and the Spaniard will shape the great duel that came to help us through the duel for the end of the Federer-Nadal-Djokovic era.
Table tennis: Brazil’s Bruna Costa Alexandre will be Olympic and Paralympic in Paris 2024
She is the third in her sport and the seventh athlete to achieve it in the same edition; in Santiago 2023 she was the first athlete with disabilities to compete at the Pan American level and won a medal.
Rugby 7s: the best player of 2023 would only play the medal match in Paris
Argentinian Rodrigo Isgró received a five-game suspension for an indiscipline in the circuit’s decisive clash that would exclude him until the final or the bronze match; the Federation will seek to make the appeal successful.
Rhonex Kipruto, owner of the world record for the 10000 meters on the road, was suspended for six years
The Kenyan received the maximum sanction for irregularities in his biological passport and the Court considered that he was part of a system of “deliberate and sophisticated doping” to improve his performance. He will lose his record and the bronze medal at the Doha World Cup.
Katie Ledecky spoke about doping Chinese swimmers: “It’s difficult to go to Paris knowing that we’re going to compete with some of these athletes”
The American, a seven-time Olympic champion, referred to the case of the 23 positive controls before the Tokyo Games that were announced a few weeks ago and shook the swimming world. “I think our faith in some of the systems is at an all-time low,” he said.
