Five-time World freestyle wrestling champion Adeline Gray (Denver, Colo./New York AC) was named one of the five finalists for Female Olympic Athlete of the Year.Fans are invited to vote through midnight Monday, Oct. 28. Fans may vote as many times as they wish, so make sure to vote multiple times and vote on a daily basis.
Gray made history at the 2019 World Wrestling Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan in September, when she became the first U.S. wrestler to win five career Senior World gold medals. She surpassed U.S. superstars John Smith, Tricia Saunders and Jordan Burroughs, who were tied with her with four Senior World golds.
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Gray defeated three-time World bronze medalist Hiroe Minagawa Suzuki of Japan in the World Championships gold-medal finals at 76 kg, 4-2.
Gray reached the World finals with four impressive wins. She opened with three dominant 10-0 technical falls, powering through Eleni Pjollaj of Italy, 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Elmira Syzdykova of Kazakhstan and two-time Junior World medalist Hui Tsz Chang of Chinese Taipei. In the semifinals, she won a strategic battle against 2014 World champion Aline Rotter Focken of Germany, 5-2
Gray has now won World titles in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019, and World bronze medals in 2011 and 2013. Gray was also a member of the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team.
Gray won a gold medal at the 2019 Pan American Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina in May, including a pin of 2016 Olympic champion Erica Wiebe of Canada in the quarterfinals. She was named the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler with two pins and two technical falls.
She qualified for her ninth U.S. World or Olympic Team with her victory in Final X: Lincoln in June, sweeping her finals series against Precious Bell in two straight, with a pin and a technical fall. In March, Gray pinned Sudesh of India in 1:52 in the Beat the Streets Los Angeles Annual Benefit.
The other finalists for the Female Athlete of the Year are Simone Manuel (swimming), Dalah Muhammed (track and field), Simone Biles (gymnastics) and Mikaela Shiffrin (alpine skiing).
Online fan voting at TeamUSA.org/Awards accounts for 50 percent of the final tally, while members of the Olympic and Paralympic community – including an esteemed panel of Olympic and Paralympic journalists – account for the other 50 percent.
The six award winners will be announced during the 2019 Team USA Awards presented by Dow, Best of the Year, held on Nov. 19 at Universal Studios in Los Angeles. NBC will provide coverage of the awards show from 3-4 p.m. ET on Dec. 22.
The Team USA Awards honor athletes and teams of the year in six categories:
Female Olympic Athlete of the Year
Male Olympic Athlete of the Year
Olympic Team of the Year, presented by Dow
Female Paralympic Athlete of the Year
Male Paralympic Athlete of the Year
Paralympic Team of the Year, presented by Dow
Athletes and teams considered for Best of the Year were finalists for Best of the Month honors, dating back to the fall of 2018 and coinciding with the sport calendar. A USOPC nominating committee then selected the top-five finalists in the individual and team categories to advance to the voting round.
The other 2019 Best of the Year finalists include:
The other 2019 Best of the Year finalists include:
Male Olympic Athlete of the Year: Brady Ellison (archery), Nathan Chen (figure skating), Vincent Hancock (shooting), Caeleb Dressel (swimming), Noah Lyles (track and field)
Female Olympic Athlete of the Year are Simone Manuel (swimming), Dalah Muhammed (track and field), Simone Biles (gymnastics) and Mikaela Shiffrin (alpine skiing). Adeline Gray (Wrestling)
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