Marcos Díaz circled the globe between May and September in a unique set of five swims.The pride of the Dominican Republic won over the hearts of many after five challenging swims on behalf of the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals. Through his charismatic personality, humanitarian vision and ability to move wizened politicians and wide-eyed children, he created bridges between people of all ages, cultures and backgrounds in his Swim Across the Continents project.
He brought significant global attention to the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations that supported his swims from Papua New Guinea (Oceania) to Indonesia (Asia) (20K in 4:18), from Yemen (Asia) to Djibouti (Africa) (18.6K in 4:55), from Spain (Europe) to Morocco (Africa) (22K in 2:41) and from Alaska (North America) to Big Diomede Island, Russia (Asia) (5K in 1:05). With an incredible drive, entrepreneurial spirit and motto, "One Man - Five Continents - Many Voices", Marcos was selected as the 2010 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year.
Besides Marcos, the 12 nominees for the award stood out among their peers for their accomplishments, histories and lifestyles. The men (1) embody the spirit of open water swimming, (2) possess the sense of adventure, tenacity and perseverance that open water swimmers are known for, and (3) most positively influenced the world of open water swimming in 2010.
The final vote tally was as follows:
1. Marcos Diaz, Swimmer (Dominican Republic) 77.18% (10,626 votes)
2. Ventura Deep Six Relay, Relay Swimmers (USA) 7.87% (1,083 votes)
3. Chad Ho, Swimmer (South Africa) 4.29% (590 votes)
4. Nino Fazio, Swimmer/Promotor (Italy) 3.35% (486 votes)
5. Dave Barra, Swimmer (USA) 3.04% (418 votes)
6. Ned Denison, Swimmer /Administrator (Ireland) 2.27% (312 votes)
7. Chris Palfrey, Swimmer (Australia) 0.6% (83 votes)
8. Valerio Cleri, Swimmer (Italy) 0.44% (61 votes)
9. Lewis Pugh, Swimmer/Environmentalist (Great Britain) 0.33% (45 votes)
10. Petar Stoychev, Swimmer (Bulgaria) 0.2% (27 votes)
11. Michael Oram, Pilot (Great Britain) 0.18% (25 votes)
12. Captain Earl Sandvik, Pilot (USA) 0.09% (12 votes)
The official announcement from Open Water Source is below:
Copyright © 2010 by Open Water Source
Felicidades a Marcos¡¡ Su trabajo a sido totalmente increíble¡¡
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to Marcos¡¡ His work has been absolutely amazing¡¡
I saw Marcos when he learned how to swim. He was 6 years old. He has been awarded the "man of the Year" in the Dominican Rep. before, but learning today that he´s won the Open water man of the year by a landslide, by a public of his peers is a very proud moment for me as Dominican and fellow former swimmer also trainned by the best: Augusto García. Felicidades Marcos! Sigue cosechando éxitos. Edwin Guerra
ReplyDeleteMuy alentador ya que todos los Dominicanos debemos cambiar la imagen que tenemos ante el mundo y cada vez que sobre sale un dominicano mundialmente es motivo de orgullo para todos nosotros... Hermano Muchas felicidades por ese gran logro y felicidades por compartir tus logros siempre con tu pais. Republica Dominicana.
ReplyDeleteRafael Ramírez (Raffy)
Congratulations to Marcos Diaz, we are proud of you.
ReplyDeleteRosa Maria Diaz