Congratulations to our Athletes of the Day for Tuesday, 12 July, at The World Games 2022 in Birmingham, Alabama. On the fifth day of competition of the eleventh edition of the Games, the Hungarian Canoe Marathon athlete Vanda Kiszli and the Floorball goalkeeper Janis Salcevics from Latvia were celebrated on stage at The World Games Plaza. They were presented with a certificate and a gift, supplied by Protective Life.
Dreams come true: Vanda Kiszli
After winning Women's K1 Short Distance on Monday, Hungarian Vanda Kiszli brought up another gold medal at The World Games 2022. On Tuesday, she succeeded in the Women's K1 Standard Distance at Oak Mountain State Park where the Canoe Marathon regatta took place. Kiszli, a three-time world champion, did not have everything her own way. For 20 kilometres of the 21-kilometer race, Kiszli raced neck-and-neck with reigning world U23 champion Cathrine Rask of Denmark. On the final sprint Kiszli flexed her muscles, sprinting harder than at any other time of the race to open up a decisive mini-break. The 28-year-old champion made her dreams come true: double gold at the official debut of canoe marathon at The World Games. “For two years I have been preparing for this race, I trained for this. It’s so hard, it’s one hour and 40 minutes, and you have to be focused all the time, and it’s a long time. I think I’m good at this, the focus from the start to the finish,” she said after the race.
One of a kind: Janis Salcevics
You don’t have to be medalist to become an athlete of the day. But you do have to perform in an outstanding way. This goes for Janis Salcevics. He is the goalkeeper of the Latvian team which lost in Bronze Medal match versus Czech Republic 7-3. However, Janis Salcevics put in an outstanding performance. The fans acknowledged his contribution to Latvia’s way into the bronze match. They cast their votes for him for the all-star team. For the goalkeeper, this is a great honour. Floorball is dominated by Sweden (Gold Medalist) and Finland (Silver). The only player in the all-star team who does not play for one of the two final teams was 32-year-old Janis Salcevics. You can say: he stands alone.
The World Games is a multi-sport event staged every four years by the International World Games Association, organised with the support of the International Olympic Committee. The 11th edition of The World Games will be held in Birmingham, Alabama, USA, 7-17 July 2022. 3,600 athletes from 34 sports and over 100 countries will take part in The World Games.