Voting opened this week in a tight contest for the IWGA Athlete of the Year – and thanks to huge support from the muaythai community Svetlana VInnikova is in the Top Five as the first week draws to a close. Voting has been hectic since the polls opened on January 1st and with last year’s winner needing over 90,000 votes to clinch the prestigious title, this year is set to be equally exciting.
The strength of the various sports involved in The World Games can be seen in the high level of voting after just one week. Powerlifting has cleared 10,000 votes with other popular sports like Karate and Kickboxing in close pursuit.
This first round of voting lasts until January 15th with only the Top Ten athletes or teams moving into the final round.
IFMA thanks the Russian Union of Martial Arts RSBI for supporting Svetlana’s campaign.
Svetlana Vinnikova (Russia) holds the gold medal at 63.5kg, having won in a thrilling contest with former world champion Erica Bjornstrand (Sweden) in May this year. She also holds the European gold at the same weight, defeating Ukrainian champion Viktoriia Yevtushenko in the final.
Last year Svetlana dropped a weight division taking gold at The World Games in the 60kg category. She faced some tough opponents here also including current world champion at that weight Nili Block (Israel) and Finnish champion Gia Winberg.
Follow Svetlana Vinnikova on Instagram to see her training regime in Moscow and in Thailand! @svetlanni
Watch Svetlana Vinnikova’s Muaythai bouts on the IFMA Youtube Channel
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