World Rowing has named Olympian Bryan Volpenhein one of six finalists for the 2012 Thomas Keller Medal.
The Thomas Keller Medal is one of the highest distinctions in the sport of rowing. It is awarded to recognize an exceptional international rowing career as well as exemplary sportsmanship and legendary aspect. The finalists were decided based on the list of nominations following a voting process open to FISA's Council and Commission members.The award will be presented on May 26 at the 2012 Samsung World Rowing Cup in Lucerne, Switzerland.
A three-time Olympian and 2004 Olympic gold medalist in the men's eight, Volpenhein helped coach the U.S. to a silver medal in the lightweight men's eight and a bronze medal in the lightweight women's quadruple sculls at the 2009 World Rowing Championships. Volpenhein joined the coaching staff in August of 2010 and currently serves as the lightweight men's coach at the OKC National High Performance Center.
The award was named after the late President of FISA, Thomas Keller (Thomi). Born in 1924, Keller was elected President of FISA in 1958, at the age of 34, and was then the youngest-ever president of an international sports federation.
Following the 1988 Olympics, Thomi Keller spontaneously awarded the FISA Medal of Honour to Peter-Michael Kolbe and Pertti Karppinen to commemorate one of the greatest rivalries in the history of the sport, thereby recognising their exceptional talent and sportsmanship. This shaped the idea of the Thomas Keller Medal which was initiated by the Keller family following Thomi's passing in 1989 and was first awarded to the great Norwegian rower Alf Hansen in 1990.
Each year, the winner is carefully selected by the Thomas Keller Medal committee, after a broad international nomination process, to ensure that the true values in which Thomi so strongly believed are represented in this award.
In 2011, Estonia's Jueri Jaanson won the award after a rowing career that spanned more than two decades during which he won Olympic and World Championship medals - Jaanson retired at the age of 44. Previous winners include James Tomkins (Australia), Kathrin Boron (Germany), Elisabeta Lipa (Romania), Steve Redgrave (Great Britain), Marnie McBean (Canada), among others.
Other finalists include:
Constanta Burcica (Romania)
Burcica was at the top of rowing for nearly two decades, from 1990 to 2008 and in that time she managed to swap successfully between rowing lightweight and open-weight. Burcica's medals came in a variety of boats including the women's quadruple sculls, the lightweight women's double sculls and the women's eight. She holds five Olympic medals: three gold, one silver and one bronze.
Vaclav Chalupa (Czech Republic)
Chalupa made competitive rowing his life. A veteran of five Olympic Games, Chalupa spent the majority of his career racing in the men's single sculls. Chalupa regularly picked up silver medals which drove him to continually strive for the elusive gold. He strove for over two decades and in that time became known for his modesty, selflessness and enthusiasm for the sport.
Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell (New Zealand)
The identical twins wowed the rowing world by dominating the women's double sculls and picking up consecutive Olympic gold medals at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games as well as having won three World Championship gold medals. Their success encouraged many New Zealand high school students, especially females, to take up rowing and they received World Rowing Female Crew of the Year Award twice for their achievements.
Manuela Lutze (Germany)
Manuela Lutze is a four-time Olympian, two-time Olympic Champion and five-time World Champion. She is described by her coach as being able to blend into any boat and balance a successful career at the same time as being a top rower.
Vasileios Polymeros (Greece)
Polymeros became a national hero when he (and his lightweight double sculls partner) won the first ever rowing medal for Greece at the Athens Olympic Games in 2004. Polymeros, medalled again with a new rowing partner at the Beijing Olympics to become Greece's most successful rower ever.