Maria Sharapova Off to an Early Lead in Female Athlete of the Year Voting
Posted by Aaress Lawless on Dec 7, 2006 | Print
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World number two Maria Sharapova has raced to an early lead after only six days of voting for the 2006 United States Sports Academy’s Female Athlete of the Year award presented by USATODAY.com and MSNBC.com.
Sharapova, who won the 2006 US Open title and reached the semifinals or higher at all but two of her tournaments in 2006, is leading a talented field of the world’s best athletes.
Belgian star and year-ending world number one Justine Henin-Hardenne is in second place, followed by LPGA player Lorena Ochoa of Mexico.
The complete ballot includes American basketball player Laura Harper, Belgian tennis player Justine Henin-Hardenne, Canadian speed skater Cindy Klassen, WNBA All Star Lisa Leslie, French swimming star Laure Manaudou, French tennis player Amelie Mauresmo, Mexican golfer Lorena Ochoa, American sprinter Sanya Richards, Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova, Russian figure skater Irina Slutskaya, LPGA player Karrie Webb, and Chinese gymnast Nan Zhang.
The ballot is available to sports fans worldwide through December 25, 2006 and is located on the Academy’s website here.
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