Croat Ahead Of Lionel Messi At Argentine Sportsmen Of The Year Awards
- by croatiaweek
- in Sport
Football maestro Lionel Messi may have scooped awards this year around the globe but he has failed to collect a prestigious award in his own country, finishing behind a Croat in voting.
Argentina’s Sportsmen of the Year award for 2012 (Olimpia de Oro) has gone to boxer Sergio Martinez, with Sebastian Crismanich, an Argentine-Croat in second place and Messi in third.
Crismanich, whose surname was changed from Krizmanic when his grandfather arrived in Argentina from Croatia, won gold at the London Olympics in the men’s 80kg Taekwondo division, becoming the first Argentine individual athlete since 1948 to win an Olympic gold medal.
