The International Weightlifting Federation has officially opened up their voting process for the World Weightlifting’s Best Lifter of the Year 2016, and you, fellow fan of weightlifting, are eligible to vote. All you need to do is have a valid e-mail address and to cast your vote by the end of January 2017.
There are six candidates of each sex who have been nominated for the award. If you’re interested in voting, you need to pick one male and one female from the following list.
The Ladies
Deng Wei, China
Xiang Yanmei, China
Hsu Shu-Ching, Taipei
Rim Jong Sim, People’s Republic of Korea
Sukanya Srisurat, Thailand
Sopita Tanasan, Thailand
The Gentlemen
Oscar Albeiro Figueroa Mosquera, Colombia
Long Qingquan, China
Ruslan Nurudinov, Uzbekistan
Nijat Rahimov, Kazakhstan
Kianoush Rostami, Iran
Lasha Talakhadze, Georgia
The IWF hasn’t disclosed the exact criteria by which they selected these lifters as the top twelve of 2016, but many broke world records at the Rio Olympics and have loyal followings in their home countries.
The actual awards that will be given to the two winners are called Jenő Boskovics Lifter of the Year Trophies for 2016. Boskovics was a Hungarian weightlifting journalist who served as the Press Chief and Spokesman of the International Weightlifting Federation for several decades and was the Editor-In-Chief of World Weightlifting Magazine from its founding in 1980 until Boskovics’ death in 2010.
Head on over to the IWF’s voting page right here to make your voice heard, just remember to do so before the end of January.
What do you think – did the IWF left anyone off the list who would be more deserving?
Update, 2/7/2017: The two winners of the award have been announced. Read our coverage here.
Featured image via @iwfnet on Instagram.
