The best athletes of 2022 were awarded in Jurmala. The title of Jūrmala’s “Sportsmen of the Year” was awarded to beach volleyball player Tīna Laura Graudiņa and motor racing driver Valters Zviedris. Prizes were awarded in 14 nominations.
Tīna Laura Graudiņa receives this award for her high achievements for the third time, notes the Jūrmala city administration. She is currently ranked as high as 4th in the FIVB world rankings.
The award and title “Sportsman of the Year in Jūrmala” in 2022 has been won by motor sportsman Valters Zviedris for the second year in a row. He won the 1st place in the Latvian and Baltic Championship in the BMW325 CUP class overall, and the athlete also won the 5th place in the “FIA Motorsport games” – in the competition of 18 athletes, he won so far the highest achievement in his career, competing in such high-scale international competitions.
Long-time artistic gymnastics coach Ilvija Jāpiņa was awarded in the nomination “For lifetime contribution to the development of Jūrmala sports”. year Her students emphasize that the coach laid the foundations not only in athletic achievements, but also took care of the personal growth of her students with full dedication and love. Colleagues describe Ilvija Jāpiņas as a positive, responsive and understanding colleague, enthusiastic about his work, who achieves the set goals.
The “Coach of the Year” award was given to boxing and floorball coach Jānis Naumovs. The winner in the “Sports Teacher of the Year” nomination is Kristīne Bērziņa, a physical education teacher at Vaivaru Primary School in Jūrmala. The “Team of the Year” was also recognized this year as the top league volleyball team “RTU Robežsardze/Jūrmala”, which won 2nd place in the Latvian championship under the leadership of coach Raimonds Vilde. Beach volleyball players Tīna Laura Graudiņa and Anastasija Samoilova, who won 1st place in the European Championship and high places in other world and European tournaments, were awarded in the nomination “The best team of the year in individual sports”.
In the nomination “Sports Club of the Year”, the “Jāņas Rovičas Boxing Club” was awarded, whose representatives have won first places in both Latvian and international competitions. Eriks Homka, who won 1st place in the international judo competition in Poland in the U16 and U18 age groups, was recognized as the “Rising Star of the Year” in Jurmala. “Sports event of the year in Jurmala” is the world’s highest-level tournament in beach volleyball “Beach Pro Tour” “Elite 16” in Majori sands, and “Public sports event in the city” is the international competition in water motor sports Jurmala Cup”.
Water motor athlete Nikita Lijcs was recognized as the best in the “Sportsman of the Year in Technical Sports” nomination, veteran handball team “Jūrmalas sports” was awarded in the “Sports Senior of the Year” nomination, which won 1st place in the sports games of the Latvian Sports Veterans Union, and wheelchair tennis player Žanete Vasaraudze-Gailīte was recognized for “Athletes of the Year in Paralympic Sports”.
Annual sports awards are given in Jurmala for the 23rd time.
