Cuba publishes 2007 top athletes list

HAVANA, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Cuba's sports authorities announced on Monday the nation's athlete of the year candidates as wrestler Mijain Lopez, triple jumper Yargelis Savigne, judoca Driulis Gonzalez.

The three led voting by the National Sports, Physical Education and Recreation Agency (Inder) and the Cuban Journalists Union Sports' Chroniclers Circle

In 2007, Lopez won gold in the 120 kg category at the sport's World Cup in Azerbaijan capital Baku and a place in the 2008 Olympics by defeating Russia's Khasan Baroev in the final.

Savingne, 34, from Cuba's Guantanamo region, stands out for defeating more than 40 rivals in official competitions.

Gonzalez, 23, also from Guantanamo, won her event at the athletics world championship in Japanese city Osaka with a 15.28 metrs jump, defeating Russia's Tatiana Lebedeva, gold medal winner at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Her jumps is the second best of all time, after the 15.50 meters record set by Ukraine's Inessa Kravets in 1995 in Gothenburg.

She was also chosen as the Central American and Caribbean athlete of the year alongside Jamaican runner Asafa Powell.

Among 2007's greats were baseball batter Frederich Cepeda, who help the island's team win gold in both the 15 Pan-American Games, held in Rio de Janeiro, and the first ALBA baseball league; and silver in the 37th World Cup in the sport.

Volleyball captain Nancy Carrillo, 21, earned the athlete of the year award together with Yumilka Ruiz.

The island's judo team won the best team award with two gold medals and a silver medal in events including the Montreal Pan-American Championship, the second edition of the ALBA Games in Venezuela and the World Cup in Chinese capital Beijing.