You can vote for the 2008 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year at www.10Kswimmer.com.

This award is not necessarily for the best athlete, but is meant to honor the man who (1) best embodies the spirit of open water swimming, (2) possesses the sense of adventure, tenacity and perseverance that open water swimmers are known for, and (3) has most positively influenced the world of open water swimming in 2008.

The 14 nominees include:

1. Dmitrij Belov (Russia), National Team Coach
2. Emilio Casanueva (USA/Chile), Sanctioning Body President
3. Sid Cassidy (USA), Chairman and Global Administrator
4. David Davies (UK), Cross-over Olympian
5. Sam Greetham, (Britain) LEN Open Water Committee Secretary and Director of British Swimming
6. Chad Ho (South Africa), Tough Teenager
7. Alex Kostich (USA), Master Extraordinaire
8. Thomas Lurz (Germany), Professional Swimmer
9. Randy Nutt (USA), Coach, Promoter and Race Director
10. Bob Placak (USA), Generous Visionary and Promoter
11. Scott Rice (New Zealand), Open Water Branding Expert
12. Petar Stoychev (Bulgaria), Record Holder
13. Douglas Woodring (Hong Kong), Race Innovator
14. Maarten van der Weijden (Netherlands), Olympic Champion