Your chance to nominate the best

Time is running out to tell us your nominations for FISA’s Thomas Keller Medal – rowing’s most prestigious medal – for an outstanding career in rowing.

Nominations are open to the public and can be done through the World Rowing website. To pick the right person that you would like to nominate it comes down to:

“Any competitor who has had a long and successful rowing career and who has made an outstanding contribution to rowing as a competitor and as a sports personality.”

To win the Thomas Keller Medal these factors are taken into consideration:
1. Success at the international level
2. “Type” of career
3. Technical mastery of the sport
4. Sportsmanship
5. “Legendary” aspect

In principle only one medal can be awarded in any one year.

The Thomas Keller Medal was first awarded in 1990 and is named after FISA’s former president, Thomi Keller. The award is usually presented at the final Samsung World Rowing Cup in July in Lucerne, Switzerland. Keller’s son, Dominik Keller will present the award.

The winner of the Thomas Keller Medal receives a lifetime accreditation to all FISA World Rowing Championships as well as the 18-carat gold medal.

Last year’s recipient of the Thomas Keller Medal was Australia’s James Tomkins. Tomkins had an international rowing career that spanned 23 years and during that time he competed at six Olympic Games earning four medals – three of them gold.

Please send nominations for this year’s Thomas Keller Medal to FISA by 25 February 2011.