On Monday, the 2024 Related Press Male Athlete Of The Yr award was given to Japanese Los Angeles Dodgers participant Shohei Ohtani, who obtained 48 out of 74 first place votes in a landslide victory. Nevertheless, French swimmer Leon Marchand got here in second place with ten votes.
In 2024, Marchand received 4 gold medals and a bronze on the Paris Olympic video games, being essentially the most adorned athlete from the competitors. Two of his gold medals got here from successful the 200 butterfly and 200 breaststroke in the identical session, making him the primary swimmer since 1976 to win two particular person gold medals in someday on the Olympics. After displaying out in his dwelling nation, Marchand’s reputation grew immensely, together with his Instagram follower rely climbing from round 200,000 to 1.5 million throughout Paris Video games.
Marchand beat out a number of names in voting together with 2024 Males’s Ballon D’Or winner Rodri from Spain, in addition to 2024 Olympic gold medalist and Masters champion golfer Scottie Scheffler from the USA.
In the meantime, Ohtani had a historic 2024 season to take dwelling the grand prize. In his first 12 months as a Dodger, he received the unanimous NL MVP award, grew to become the primary participant to document 50 dwelling runs and 50 steals in a season and helped his workforce win the 2024 World Sequence. He now has three AP Male Athlete of the Yr awards, tying Michael Jordan for the second-most in historical past.
2024 AP Male Athlete Of The Yr Voting Breakdown:
- Shohei Ohtani, Baseball — 48
- Leon Marchand, Swimming — 10
- Scottie Sheffler, Golf — 9
- Rodri, Soccer — 2
- Vincinius Junior — 2
- Nikola Jokic/Aaron Choose/Connor McDavid — 1
Even in an Olympic 12 months, no swimmers have been within the high three of first place voters for the AP Feminine Athlete of the Yr award. Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark received that award with 35 votes, American gymnast Simone Biles took second with 25 votes and Algerian boxer Imane Khelif was third with 4 votes.
The final time a swimmer received an AP Athlete of the Yr award was 2022, when Katie Ledecky took dwelling the prize. She additionally received in 2017. Different swimmers received win embrace Michael Phelps, Amy Van Dyken, Mark Spitz, Debbie Meyer, Don Schollander, Daybreak Fraser, Ann Curtis, Gloria Callen, Katherine Rawls and Helene Madison. All of these swimmers are American with the besides of Fraser, who’s Australian.
AP tends to award athletes who’re both American or play in U.S.-based sports activities leagues, so Marchand being French and taking second place is critical. Solely 9 of the 93 male winners have been worldwide athletes, and solely 4 don’t play in American professional sports activities leagues. Worldwide athlete winners are barely extra in style on the ladies’s aspect, with 17 non-Individuals taking dwelling the dignity.
