Kate Steels is a WOWSA Award Winner: 2021 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year
Kate Steels of Great Britain joins Paul Georgescu of Romania (World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year), Avram Iancu of Romania (World Open Water Swimming Performance of the Year), Maratona del Golfo Capri-Napoli of Italy (World Open Water Swimming Event of the Year), and Aloo (World Open Water Swimming Product or Service of the Year), as the 2021 WOWSA Awards winners
Kate Steels had a typically remarkable year and was selected as the 2021 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year. As an athlete, Steels achieved the Ice Sevens that required her to complete seven different Ice Miles in Europe, Oceania, Asia, North America, Africa, South America, a Polar location including a Zero Ice Mile – and she also was inducted in the IISA Hall of Fame and raised money for suicide prevention. As an administrator, she concurrently serves as the Chairperson of the International Ice Swimming Association Great Britain. As a board member, she serves as the Secretary for the International Ice Swimming Association.
The winners and nominees of the 2021 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year Award included:
Winner: Kate Steels (Great Britain)
First Runner-up: Elaine Burrows Dillane (Ireland)
Second Runner-up: Abhejali Bernardová (Czech Republic)
4. Mayra Santos (Brazil)
5. Merle Liivand (Estonia)
6. Shu Pu (Hong Kong)
7. Sarah Thomas (USA)
8. Amy Ennion (Great Britain)
9. Lexie Kelly (USA)
10. Maria Cotignolo (Uruguay)
11. Chloë McCardel (Australia)
12. Ana Marcela Cunha (Brazil)
13. Abigail Fairman (USA)
14. Kerry Kopke (South Africa)
15. Carina Bruwer (South Africa)
The past winners of the World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year Award include the following women:
- 2008: Edith van Dijk of the Netherlands
- 2009: Poliana Okimoto of Brazil
- 2010: Anne Marie Ward of Ireland
- 2011: Pilar Geijo of Argentina
- 2012: Annaleise Carr of Canada
- 2013: Olga Kozydub of Russia
- 2014: Nataliya Fatyanova, M.D. of Russia
- 2015: Bridgette Hobart Janeczko of U.S.A.
- 2016: Jaimie Monahan of U.S.A.
- 2017: Jaimie Monahan of U.S.A.
- 2018: Aleksandra Bednarek of Poland
- 2019: Mariel Hawley Dávila of Mexico
- 2020: Bárbara Hernández Huerta of Chile
- 2021: Kate Steels of Great Britain
The video of the 2021 WOWSA Awards above where Steels gives her acceptance speech, along with the other WOWSA Awards winners, features “Heroes and Dreamers”, a song by Pinkzebra. Its lyrics are poignant to the achievements of the winners, nominees and many open water swimmers around the world:
We control our fate
Destiny awaits
We are all the actors in the stories we create
Hope will be our guide
We’ll no longer hide
When we roar like thunder
Feel the wonder from inside
We are heroes and dreamers
We are restless believers
Stronger than ever
Never say never
Don’t look back now
Don’t look back now
Rise up
Stand with each other
We are sisters and brothers
Finding our place and
Running the race
We’ll take our chance and seize the moment
Hold on tight
And don’t let go and
All your hopes and dreams that light the way
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