Paul Georgescu is a WOWSA Award Winner: 2021 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year
Paul Georgescu of Romania joins Kate Steels of Great Britain (World Open Water Swimming Woman 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 of Mexico (World Open Water Swimming Product or Service of the Year), as the 2021 WOWSA Awards winners.
Paul Georgescu had a typically remarkable year and was selected as the 2021 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year. As an athlete, he became the first person to complete the Seven Lakes Project in Romania. In one week, he traveled over 1,800 km to swim 100 km in 6 picturesque lakes in Romania: 45 km Lacul Stânca Costeștii in 13 hours 8 minutes, 23 km Lacul Izvorul Muntelui in 6 hours 40 minutes, 4.5 km Lacul Colibița in 1 hour 5 minutes, 14.2 km Lacul Beliș Fântânele in 4 hours 10 minutes, 8.2 km Lacul Drăgan in 2 hours 2 minutes, and 10.2 km Lacul Vidraru in 2 hours 42 minutes. He also set the world record for the longest Ice Mile (subsequently broken) and swam 100 km non-stop in a pool. As a coach, he is also currently leading Team Romania to the 4th Ice Swimming World Championships. As an administrator, he manages the Romanian Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming and is the founder of the Ice Swimming & Open Water Romania Association.
The winners and nominees of the 2021 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year Award included:
Winner: Paul Georgescu (Romania)
First Runner-up: Neil Agius (Malta)
Second Runner-up: Joel Matos Ortiz (Puerto Rico)
4. Josef Köberl (Austria)
5. Dr. Jaiprakash Duble (India)
6. Pablo Fernández Álvarez (Spain)
7. Stève “Seal” Stievenart (France)
8. Simon Griffiths (Great Britain)
9. Bogusław Ogrodnik (Poland)
10. Joseph Zemaitis (USA)
11. Damián Blaum (Argentina)
12. Florian Wellbrock (Germany)
13. Stéphane Lecat (France)
14. Kristóf Rasovszky (Hungary)
15. Andre Slade (Australia)
The past winners of the World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year Award included the following women:
- 2008: Randy Nutt (USA)
- 2009: Petar Stoychev (Bulgaria)
- 2010: Marcos Diaz (Dominican Republic)
- 2011: Jamie Patrick (USA)
- 2012: Stephen Redmond (Ireland)
- 2013: Pádraig Mallon (Ireland)
- 2014: Henri Kaarma (Estonia)
- 2015: Antonio Argüelles Díaz-González (Mexico)
- 2016: Nejib Belhedi (Tunisia)
- 2017: Antonio Argüelles Díaz-González (Mexico)
- 2018: Ion Lazarenco Tiron (Republic of Moldava)
- 2019: Adherbal Treidler de Oliveira (Brazil)
- 2020: Nejib Belhedi (Tunisia)
- 2021: Paul Georgescu (Romania)
The video of the 2021 WOWSA Awards above where Georgescu gives his 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
Copyright © 2008 – 2022 by World Open Water Swimming Association
