Winter Olympians, the Super Bowl MVP, and an international athletics star make up the United States Sports Academy’s online February Athlete of the Month ballot, featuring 12 candidates from five countries who made an impact in their sport during the month.
Everyone is encouraged to cast a vote on the Academy’s website at www.ussa.edu. Voting will continue until 5 p.m. Central time on Thursday, 10 March 2022.
Male nominees are Johannes Thingnes Bø, biathlon, Norway; Nathan Chen, figure skating, United States; Jakob Ingebrigtsen, athletics, Norway; Cooper Kupp, football, United States; Matthias Mayer, alpine skiing, Austria; and Nils Van der Poel, speed skating, Sweden.
Female nominees are Kaillie Humphries, monobob, United States; Erin Jackson, speed skating, United States; Therese Johaug, cross-country skiing, Norway; Chloe Kim, snowboarding, United States; Marte Olsbu Røiseland, biathlon, Norway; and Ireen Wust, speed skating, Netherlands.
Each month, the public is invited to participate in the Academy’s worldwide Athlete of the Month program by nominating athletes and then voting online during the first week of every month. The online votes are used to guide the Academy selection committee in choosing the male and female monthly winners, who then become eligible for selection to the prestigious Athlete of the Year ballot. A worldwide public vote on the annual ballot is used to guide the committee in making the final selection.
The Athlete of the Year Award is part of the United States Sports Academy’s Awards of Sport program, which each year serves as “A Tribute to the Artist and the Athlete.” The Academy presents the awards to pay tribute to those who have made significant contributions to sport, in categories as diverse as the artist and the athlete in several different arenas of sport. The Academy’s American Sport Art Museum and Archives (ASAMA) annually recognizes these men and women through its Sport Artist of the Year, Honorary Doctorates, Distinguished Service Awards, Outstanding Athletes, and Alumni of the Year awards. This is the 38th year of the Academy’s Awards of Sport program.
